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Crisper Drawer Spice Cake

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So the other day I did a recipe lab for my Beef Ragout, and I had left over carrots and parsnips in my crisper drawer. Unlike lumiere I was not trying to feed a whole castle instead just 3 teensy weensy people, but Walmart won’t sell you these particular root vegetables individually.

Cut to last night as I’m standing in my kitchen craving carrot cake and thought…

“Why not put parsnips in it too?”

This sparked the best cake I think I’ve baked so far…Crisper Drawer Spice Cake.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 2 tbsp. pumpkin spice seasoning
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups mixed carrot/parsnip, grated (I used two parsnips and one carrot)

Directions

  1. Add all your dry ingredients to the bowl of your stand mixer or a medium size mixing bowl. Mix on low setting to combine.
  2. Add oil, eggs and root veg mixture and stir until well combined.
  3. Place in a bread pan in a 350 degree oven for one hour.

Castle kitchen beef ragout

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So last night I decided to dive into my list of recipes inspired by Beauty and the Beast. The first one I decided to tackle was beef ragout. One of the many things mentioned in the best dinner time musical number every written.

Beef Ragout is a french style slow cooked stew with meat or seafood and vegetables or maybe just vegetables. Now it may be march and spring truly wants to be sprung, but….I live in Oregon where spring is kinda just warm winter. So I still bust out my slow cooker even now.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound stew meat
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 3 parsnips, sliced
  • 1 white onion, chunky dice
  • 4 roma tomatoes, chunky dice
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes and juices
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • bouquet garni ( 3 rosemary sprigs and 3 thyme sprigs)
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 1 cup red wine
  • salt/pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Put parsnips, carrots, onion and Roma tomatoes into slow cooker.
  2. Tie up your bouquet of herbs. I used the thyme to tie the rosemary together, but if you happen to have twine that would work too.
  3. Put meat, garlic, herb bouquet in the slow cooker on top of the vegetables.
  4. Put stock, wine and canned tomatoes on top of every thing. Salt and pepper aggressively. Stir it gently.
  5. Cook on high for four hours.

After being out in the snow getting attacked by wolves and being rescued by the hairiest prince ever I would definitely want a bowl of this delicious warm stew to fill me up again.

The Everything Biscuit

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I call it a biscuit and not a cracker because it doesn’t snap like a cracker does. It’s a little fluffy, but it stands up to dipping and the flavor is buttery and delicious.

Buttery and delicious

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup cold water
  • 2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning(I use trader joes version)

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If you only have one you are going to have to cook in batches.
  2. Put flour, butter, salt, baking powder and everything bagel seasoning in a food processor and blend.
  3. Put vegetable oil and water in the food processor and blend till the dough comes together.
  4. Flour your work surface and knead the dough for a moment till it comes together in a nice smooth ball. Divide dough in half. Roll out to about an 1/8th of an inch. Cut out with a small round cookie cutter or cut into small squares with a pizza cutter.
  5. Arrange on your baking sheets and poke holes in them with a toothpick. It will help stop some of the rise so they don’t puff up too high.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes. Put them on a plate or in a bowl to cool.
  7. Serve with cheese or dip or just eat them directly out of the bowl without sharing.

Cheesy Bacon Breakfast Muffin

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One of my many recent late night baking projects. You can definitely swap the Parmesan for any other shredded cheese you have. It was just the only cheese I had in the house.

Ingredients

  • 2 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. chili flake
  • 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup bacon pieces ( Not bacon bits but real bacon pieces I found in the salad topper section)
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • More parmesan for dusting on top

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Add flour, salt, baking powder, oregano and chili flake to a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
  3. Add eggs, butter, milk, cheese and bacon and combine.
  4. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners. This recipe should make around 18 muffins. Fill your cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Any higher it’ll bake over the side and then you get wonky muffins.
  5. Sprinkle parmesan on top of each muffin and bake for 27-30 minutes.
  6. Put them on a wire rack to cool for about five or so minutes before eating.

Garlic Butter Naan Bread

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

  1. Stir honey and warm water together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir until honey dissolves.
  2. Add yeast to bowl and stir together. Wait about 5-10 minutes until the yeast mixture becomes frothy. Mix with a spatula until the dough comes together. It should be slightly sticky.
  3. Remove the dough from the bowl and oil the sides of your mixing bowl. Flour your work space and knead the dough into a smooth ball. Place it back into the bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let it proof in a warm spot in your kitchen for about an hour. You want it to double in size.
  4. While the dough is proofing melt the butter in a pan and place the garlic in the butter. Cook for about 3 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant then remove from the heat. Strain some but not all of the garlic out and set the butter aside in a small container. (I used a tiny Tupperware container)
  5. When the dough has doubled in size transfer it to a floured surface and cut it into 8 pieces. Roll it to about 1/4 inch thick into whatever shape it takes. An oval or some oblong square is what I ended up with.
  6. Heat a large saute pan to medium heat and place naan in the pan. Cook on one side for a minute then flip and cook for a minute on the other side. It should rise in the pan and get small brown spots.
  7. Now I brushed the dough with the butter after I cooked it, but after cooking it I would recommend brushing the dough before you cook it.
  8. Cover the naan until you are ready to use it so it doesn’t dry out.

Chicken Tikka Masala

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So creamy and Delicious

Ingredients

  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, chopped
  • 3 tsp. curry powder
  • 2 tsp. coriander
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 c. plain yogurt(for marinade) 1/2 cup for sauce.
  • 1 tbsp. salt
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes and their juices
  • 1 1/2 c. heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • steamed basmati rice for serving

Directions

  1. Put garlic, ginger, curry powder, coriander, salt and cumin in a small bowl.
  2. Put yogurt for marinade and half your spice mixture into a bowl big enough for your chicken. Cover the chicken in the marinade and set aside.
  3. Put cayenne, onion and tomato into large pan and cook until onion browns. About 5-8 minutes. Put the other half of your spice mixture in and cook another 4-5 minutes.
  4. Add the tomatoes smashing them with your spatula or tongs. Bring it to a boil and then turn the heat down and simmer for about 8 minutes.
  5. Add cream, yogurt and cilantro and simmer for 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally.
  6. Meanwhile preheat your broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and put a wire rack in it. Arrange chicken in a single layer on the rack and broil until it starts to blacken. The chicken is not done cooking though. Should take about 10 minutes.
  7. While the chicken is cooking start your rice. Whether you cook it on the stove or in the microwave it should take about 20 minutes.
  8. Take your chicken out of the oven after about 10 minutes and cut it into bite sized pieces. Add it to the sauce and cook another ten minutes. Serve with cilantro basmati rice.

Smoked Sausage Stew

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Perfect for a cold winter evening

Ingredients

  • 1 package smoked sausage/keilbasa
  • 1 can canellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 can diced tomato
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1/2 c. chopped spinach
  • 2 tsp. butter
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • salt/pepper

Directions

  1. Heat a large pot on medium heat.
  2. Put butter, garlic, cayenne and onion in pan and let it cook until onion is soft.
  3. Add sausage and cook for about 3-5 minutes until sausage gets a little color.
  4. Add tomato paste, celery, carrot and bell pepper to pot. Stir until paste breaks up and coats the veggies and meat and let it cook for about five minutes.
  5. Add beans, beef stock and tomatoes with juice. Cook for about fifteen minutes. You want it to thicken up slightly and come together.
  6. Add your spinach, salt and pepper to taste and cook till spinach wilts slightly. (about 3 minutes) Don’t overcook it because you don’t want the spinach to lose its color.

Chicken Francaise

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So delicious!

A Dinner With The Prince

Here we are sitting down to dinner at the palace with our new found prince charming and what do we find in front of us? A bright flavorful dish called chicken francaise. A lightly breaded and pan fried chicken breast with a butter, white wine and fresh parsley sauce. You could serve it with pasta but I served that amazing chicken breast next to a serving of my delicious butter and garlic broccoli. My husband told me it was so good he wanted me to make that for his birthday. Nobody has ever said that to me before. I nearly cried guys.

Ingredients

Chicken
  • 4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 pounds total)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Broccoli
  • 2 heads broccoli
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 Tbsp. butter
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Place your chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin until about half an inch thick. (I regret leaving them this thick because it took longer then I though it would to cook them. I should’ve pounded them to a 1/4 inch)
  2. Cut the stems off all your broccoli and cut it into small florets.
  3. Mince all your garlic cloves.
  4. Put your broccoli, garlic and 4 tablespoons of butter into a small pan and cover it. Turn your burner on low. Your broccoli will cook low and slow for about 15 minutes. If your pan gets too dry just add more butter. Truly there isn’t too much you could put in there.
  5. Heat the oil in your pan to slightly below medium.
  6. Dredge each chicken breast in your flour and then in your egg. Let the excess drip off then lay the piece of chicken away from you in the pan. That way the last part of the chicken to hit the oil in the pan doesn’t have a chance to splash you with oil.
  7. Cook them two at a time in the pan for roughly 4 1/2 minutes on each side. I didn’t keep a timer on it, but you want them cooked until golden. The chicken inside should be moist and the outside crispy. (This is one of those moments I wish I had a meat thermometer. You want your chicken to be above 145 degrees inside.)
  8. When all your chicken is cooked put it on a paper towel lined plate and tent the plate with aluminum foil. You want to keep the chicken warm.
  9. Clean out your pan and then melt your butter. Once the butter stops foaming then put the wine, chicken stock, lemon juice and salt/pepper. Cook your sauce for about 8 minutes until your sauce reduces to about half a cup.
  10. Add your chopped parsley to your sauce and cook for another minute.
  11. Plate your chicken and broccoli and spoon sauce over dish.
  12. Serve to very happy customers.

This is my first experience cooking a french dish and I was truly happy with the way it turned out. Anything with wine and butter in it speaks to me on a spiritual level. I feel like a dish like this would make Cinderella very happy and would make any of us feel like a wealthy princess. Its rich and bright and fragrant and makes my kitchen smell like a spring picnic.

Skillet Flatbread

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For those who caught the last post flatbread has not been my friend this week. It’s been a struggle trying to figure it out, but today we made it!

This is what success looks like

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup water
  • either butter or oil to fry in

Directions

  1. Put flour and salt in a medium size mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
  2. Melt butter in microwave for about a minute.
  3. Put melted butter and water in bowl with dry ingredients and combine with either a wooden spoon or plastic spatula until dough comes together. It shouldn’t be wet or shaggy looking. It should come together nice and smooth.
  4. Flour your work surface and rolling pin. You don’t want the flatbread to stick. Roll them roughly 1/8th of an inch thick. They should be VERY thin. You’re looking for them to be the size of a small tortilla(approx. 6 inches across) They won’t puff and cook properly if you don’t roll them out thin enough. Also make sure you pat a lot of the excess flour off the dough.
  5. Heat your pan to slightly above medium heat and put either the butter or oil in the pan. Wait for the butter to melt or the oil to shimmer in the pan and move like water.
  6. Cook them for about 10 seconds on one side and then flip them. Cook them for roughly a minute on that side. You’re looking for small brown spots to appear on the dough. When that starts to happen you want to flip it and cook it for roughly a minute on the other side. You want them to be soft and buttery.
  7. Put them on a paper towel covered plate and lightly sprinkle them with salt. Continue cooking till all batter is gone.

Learning how to make this flatbread was an adventure full of tremendous lows. I was losing hope that I would ever get it right. Then it just all fell into place this morning. My suggestion for these flatbread are as a tortilla for a breakfast taco.

Breakfast of Champions

Flippin Flatbread Man…

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There’s so much flour on my floor…

I need an apron…

Literally my internal monologue every time I bake. Anyway…

So I decided this week to try something new. I wanted flatbread. I wanted it bad guys. I’d seen someone on Bon Appetit do it so I thought I could too. Nothing I’ve baked so far has failed so this will be fine. This was definitely not how that went.

The first recipe I tried was from King Arthur Flour. It was for a skillet flatbread. The biggest thing I learned from this process is i’m not quite certain what an 1/8th of an inch looks like. My flatbread were very thick even though I thought I squished the ever living heck out of them. I also either had too hot of a pan or I tried to cook them for too long because the oil I was frying them in burned the outside. You know flatbread is supposed to have nice brown spots on the outside to let you know its done cooking. The spots these had were not that. The spots these had were the sad kind that makes your house smell like burnt toast. Then when you broke into them the smell of raw dough hits your nose. Quite frankly the whole thing was a damn disaster.

So the next day I tried something different. I tried Indian Roti. It was a similar dough except the oil was replaced with butter. It called for pretty much ALL the butter. The needed to be thin and soft and delicious. They also needed to be rolled out nearly paper thin so it would puff when you fried them. I was pretty sure I was right on track to do it properly. They rolled out nicely. I had to use quite a lot of flour to get them to roll out and not stick. This looking back was not great. I put my butter in my medium heat pan and it melted nicely. Then I put the roti in and pretty instantly all my butter browned.

Now don’t get me wrong brown butter is great when it’s what you want, but this had crossed over into burnt. I don’t know if the roti had too much flour on it going in the butter but they were very dark and oily. Through all the burnt butter and weird puffing that proved I didn’t roll them thin enough like I thought they did get closer then the other bunch. The browned without charring and one out of the five I made seemed to cook all the way through. It was still brown and not attractive but I was close.

Truly I don’t know what I could’ve done differently with that second batch. Different butter? Lower temp on my pan? Possibly a thinner roll? I will definitely try the second recipe again because I got closer to a finished product.

I definitely want to be able to cook fresh flatbread with my curry. Fresh baked is always better then store bought so we’ll see what happens next time.

Here’s the links to the recipes I tried:

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/skillet-flatbreads-recipe

https://thefoodcharlatan.com/roti-buttery-indian-flatbread/