Millet Muffins

My mom experimented with these muffins last week..and they were a success! She baked them on Mother's day so that we could all sample them. Well, even my picky grandparents and grain-hater father loved them. They are super moist, slightly sweet, and have a satisfying crunch to them from the millet. Not to mention, they are VERY healthy! My mom was so pleased that everyone liked them, that she went a little overboard and made many many more batches on Monday. I've been eating my way through my personal batch, enjoying them as an easy breakfast-to-go during the week.

(Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
2 cups sprouted flour (or whole wheat flour)
1/4 cup ground flax
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup agave
1/4 cup applesauce
wheat germ for sprinkling

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 16 muffin cups. (Or 8 extra-large muffin cups-- I like my muffins larger so they hold me over until lunch!!)
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, flax, millet, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk, egg, coconut oil, agave, apple sauce, and vanilla. Stir the liquid mix into the flour mix just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with wheat germ.
3. Bake 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Lesson 44: Egg Cookery

Yesterday we cooked eggs in every way you could think of--fried, boiled (hard & soft), poached, etc.  I recently watched Julia Child make a perfect rolled French omelet and was intrigued by her technique.  I couldn't wait to learn how to make one in class.  While my omelets are always very tasty (and a favorite breakfast request from my dad), they sometimes brown on top and fall apart.  

Shown above is my very first french rolled omelet.  Not perfect, but at least it didn't fall apart and didn't brown.  It wasn't as smooth on top as I wanted it to be, but I tried to cover it up with some sauteed peppers and onions :)

To make a French omelet, the key is to have a very hot pan.  Once the [3] eggs go in (that were slightly scrambled with a fork and mixed with a drop of milk and some fine herbs), you can lower the heat a bit, but the pan must be very hot at first.  You must keep the pan in motion while using a fork or spatula to bring the raw eggs to the bottom of the pan.  

When the eggs are just beginning to set, but are still a little wet, you add your fillings (cheeses, vegetables, etc) in a line right in the center.  You fold half of the omelet over and get the eggs to the very edge of the pan.  Then, you roll the omelet on the plate and hope for the perfect fluffy French omelet.

We also learned how to perfectly poach an egg.  I love poached eggs, mostly because of its texture and because its not coated in grease and butter.  To be honest, I really stink at poaching eggs.  If I don't have my fancy william sonoma egg poacher, then my eggs fall apart in the simmer water.  However, in class we used simple metal rings to shape the eggs in the water.  These were the perfect device for making poached eggs because the whites stayed in tact with the yolks.  No fancy egg poacher needed!!  We held the poached eggs in ice water and simply heated them up in boiling water for a few seconds before plating them.  

To assemble our eggs benedict, we sauteed canadian bacon, toasted english muffin halves, and made our hollandaise.  Eggs benedict is a dish that has to be timed perfectly so that the hollandaise doesn't break and the other components are warm and ready to be served.  Unfortunately, our timing was not perfect and our hollandaise solidified.  Here is a picture of the eggs benedict without the hollandaise:

Still looks pretty tasty, huh?  

My favorite part of class was making the fried eggs.  We learned how to flip the eggs over easy using a slight flick of the wrist.  When Chef Karen demonstrated the flip, I immediately knew that it would not be as easy as it looks.  

I was nervous for my first flip and was not successful.  The yolk didn't break, but it didn't look like the perfect fried egg.  My second flip was definitely a success!  I was so excited when it flipped perfectly without the yolk breaking and creating a big mess in the pan.  Check out my glorious fried egg:My team also prepared a frittata.  Frittatas are great for a crowd because you can add a variety of fillings and just slice it into wedges.  For our frittata we just grabbed a bunch of fillings like sauteed peppers and onions, chopped sausage links, crumbled bacon, and sauteed potatoes.  We started the frittata on the stove and then covered it and placed it in the convection oven for about 10 minutes.  When the eggs were set, we flipped it over on a plate and sliced it up!

While cooking eggs was fun, I am even more excited for breakfast cookery part 2 on Monday.  We will be making waffles, pancakes, crepes, and breakfast cereals!

Holiday Recipes

Hope everybody had a lovely holiday!!  I wanted to post some recipes that I made for my family on Christmas, including some app's, a side-dish to go along with our lasagna, and an amazing brunch recipe.

I found two appetizer ideas on a blog that I follow called "What's Gaby Cooking".  They sounded super easy to make and something my whole family would like (which they did).  First, I made Roasted Red Pepper Mozzarella Bites (http://whatsgabycooking.com/roasted-red-pepper-mozzarella-bites/).  All I did was wrap bocconcini (tiny mozzarella balls) in a strip of roasted pepper (my mom roasted some in the oven a few days ago) with a little strip of basil.

(Thanks Jenny for my pretty new plate!!)

Next, I made Crostini with Baked Brie and Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta (http://whatsgabycooking.com/crostini-with-baked-brie-and-heirloom-tomato-bruschetta/).

Since heirloom tomatoes are not in season, I quartered cherry tomatoes.  I mixed the tomatoes with basil, evoo, balsamic vinegar, and salt & pepper.  I let the tomato mixture sit while I prepared my toasts.  I used a marble rye loaf because my mom couldn't find a plain italian baguette at the store.  I sliced the bread thin and topped each slice with a little brie.  I baked it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, until the brie was melted and the bread was toasted.  Then, I topped each toast with the tomato mixture.

Every year my mom makes stuffed mushrooms to go along with our lasagna.  We usually make some kind of roast too, but decided not to this year since we had 3 trays of lasagna.  I helped her make the mushrooms and they are soo simple and delicious.  I decided to spruce it up a bit by adding a touch of gorgonzola on half of them.  

To make them we wash and de-stemmed 14 large button mushrooms.  I minced most of the stems and mixed them with bread crumbs and olive oil.  We stuffed each mushroom with the stuffing and sprinkled paprika on top.  Here are the mushrooms before they went into the oven.  They take about a half hour in a 350 degree oven.

Every Christmas morning, my mom makes the same egg bake with maple ham.  I have never even really seen her make it before because she is usually up super early and makes it before I wake up.  This year I was up early and decided to help her make it.  

We put half a stick of butter in a large casserole dish and put it in a 325 degree oven until the butter melted.  Then, we swirled the pan around so that the butter coated the whole dish.  In the meantime, we whisked 18 eggs with 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of milk, 2 tsp. of salt, and 1/4 cup sliced scallions.  I poured the mixture in the casserole dish and baked it in the oven until the eggs set, about 40 minutes.  

We topped the casserole with slices of maple ham.  Here's a picture of my slice

We served the eggs with the beautiful fruit salad that I made.  It had a ton of fresh fruit from Delicious Orchards, including apples, pears, grapes, oranges, cantaulope, honeydew, kiwis, pineapple, and watermelon.

Lesson 20: Soups on a rainy day

This morning I woke up to HORRIBLE weather!  Dark, rainy, and windy!  What better way to warm up than some warm oatmeal?!  Oatmeal is one of my favorite foods and I have it almost every day for breakfast.  Most people top their oatmeal with healthy supplements, like granola, almond butter, or fresh fruit.  However, I top my oatmeal with WHIPPED CREAM!  I used to just use plain ol' reddi-whip..but I recently discovered that fresh whipped cream is the best on oatmeal because it slowly melts and makes it super creamy!  Seriously, I am obsessed with this breakfast. Sometimes I try and switch it up and have a muffin, but nothing satisfies me like oats and cream!

After some oats and pumpkin coffee I slipped on my rainboots (which were totally necessary this morning) and headed on my way to NYC.  Today's lesson was soo appropriate for the cold, nasty weather-- SOUPS!  After Chef Allen's lecture, each group prepared the day's recipes: Chicken consomme, cream of broccoli soup, and puree of carrot soup.  

I've never heard of consomme before I came to culinary school...and it is the weirdest soup I have ever encountered!  I reviewed the recipe before class and was really confused with all the talk about "rafts" and "chimneys".  Apparantly, we had to wait for a raft to form and then form a chimney?  Uhhhhhhhh?

It became a little more clear once we were able to make the soup for ourselves.  Consomme is basically a clarification of stock and a lean protein.  We whipped egg whites with mirepoix, egg whites, and tomato concasse and added in the chicken stock.  After heating the mixture over moderate heat, the proteins form on the top of the pan, forming a "raft" (aha!).. The "chimney" we had to make involved basically spooning a hole in the middle of the protein mixture to allow steam to vent through.  2 hours later, after straining the mixture and disposing of the weird globs of chicken & egg, we had a clear consomme!  I learned today that consomme is meant to eat/sip in small amounts as a palate cleanser or before a meal to stimulate your appetite and ease your stomach.  Very high class ;)

While our consomme was cooking away, our groups each made the broccoli and carrot soups.  I have to make the broccoli soup on Friday for my practical exam!  It's not your typical broccoli recipe, either..definitely more involved with lots of steps.  The result was a very smooth, thin (yet creamy), tasty soup!  I'm so used to thick broccoli soups with globs of cheddar.  In this soup, you can actually taste the broccoli flavor, which was very refreshing and enjoyable.

Our carrot ginger puree soup also turned out very tasty.  It had a very strong ginger taste, but was also sweet, creamy, and flavorful!

I was supposed to stay after school today and go to the Marcus Samuelson demo, but I actually decided to skip it.  I was extremely tired because I didn't sleep well last night, and I was stressing out a bit because I wouldn't get home until after 11 and still had to study for tomorrow's test.  It stinks knowing I have a long commute home.. especially late at night when the trains don't run as frequently :/   Well, I'll have to find out how it was from other students in my class!  Time for the Top Chef finale then bed!!  (I hope Kevin wins!!)

Thanksgiving prep weekend!

Today my mom and I did a little bit of baking, cooking, and planning for Thanksgiving.  We planned out our menu and I'm very excited for the new additions to our Thanksgiving table this year.  For our turkey, we're using Anne Burrell's recipe:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/brined-herb-crusted-turkey-with-apple-cider-gravy-recipe/index.html    for the brine (which we'll prepare on Monday), the herb crust, and the gravy.  We are also making Anne Burrell's stuffing, along with my mom's usual stuffing recipe that we're stuffing inside the bird.  Also on the menu is mashed potatoes with parsnips and rutabega, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, corn, and noodles.. yuum.  We have our shopping list all set for tomorrow!

I made a delicious lunch for my mom and I before we started baking.  I wanted to practice scrambling eggs like I did in class on Tuesday, so I made scrambled eggs over asparagus.  I cut the stems off the asparagus and seasoned them with Wegman's basting oil, salt, and pepper.  I roasted them in a 400 degree oven until tender and crispy.

I made scrambled eggs for my dad too and gave him some potatoes (so I could practice medium dicing, par boiling, and sauteeing!) with chicken sausages:

 Then it was on to baking!  First we made cranberry bread.  My mom got this recipe years ago from her librarian and it's a huge hit when she makes it every fall!  Here's the recipe: (We doubled it to make 2 loaves)

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup butter

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. orange peel

3/4 cup orange juice

1 1/2 cups golden raisons

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into the mixture until crumbly.  Add the egg, orange peel, and orange juice.  Stir until the mixture is moist.  Fold in the raisons, cranberries, and walnuts.  Spoon into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour 10 minutes.  

I love having a slice of this bread for breakfast with cream cheese spread on top!

Next, we baked my mom's famous chocolate chip cookies!  This is a secret recipe, so I can't post it!  But here's a picture:

Lesson 7: Lots o' eggs!

I am actually currently sitting in the library at ICE.. just finished class! I'm staying after with a couple of other students to help Chef Allen prepare for a dinner at the school. I figured I should take every opportunity I get to get experience with this kind of stuff!
Today went by soo fast! We did a ton of chopping skills in the beginning of class, starting with medium dicing potatos. We also diced/chopped onions, shallots, garlic, cilantro, celery, and hot peppers. He told us to mince some parsley until it looks like powder.. it took us all a while to get it to the perfected mince. He then showed us what to do with this "green wind". He wrapped it in a towel, ran it under water, and drained it until dry. It is now the perfect garnish to sprinkle over any savory dish. It is not meant to add any flavor and must be prepared in this way (as opposed to just roughly chopping it and sprinkling it). We used this parsley to garnish the rest of our dishes for the day (and I finally remembered to take pictures which I will post when I get home!)Next, we learned how to make slow cooked scrambled eggs. We tried making them in 3 different mediums (in olive oil, clarified butter, and regular butter). I liked it best in regular butter, so every time I made them, that's what I used. Clarified butter made the egg flavor stand out the most, but I didn't like it as much. Olive oil was nice, but I like the flavor of butter better. I made scrambled eggs 3 times and really overcooked them the first time..but the second and third tries were a little better. I seriously must've eaten like 6 eggs!! Egg overload! The trick to making them nice and runny is to take them off the pan when they still look raw because they will continue to cook once you plate them. Here's a pic of my 3rd try, and garnished with "green wind" of course!

We also par poiled and sauteed potatos again (the first picture).. we're becoming pros at this! Then we blanched and sauteed brocolli (again). Our feast was yet again served with warm french bread and butter..and now I am full! I'm excited to see how this dinner event goes and what we have to do to help out Chef. He said we won't have to do anything complicated and we don't even have to bring our tools or knives with us..but I like a good cooking challenge!