At
the end of this long-weekend, which also kicks off the
cottaging/camping season for many, my mind turns to s’mores. Admittedly,
when I think of graham crackers my mind does not immediately jump to
camping, s’mores, or ooey-gooey-good-times-by-the-fire-at-the-lake... My
childhood camping treats were the even more prized Lucky Charms, KD,
and bacon (yes, sometimes together if the mood struck). My yearly
indulgence has obviously become more frequent, though also more
‘high-brow’. Graham crackers make me think of a health-nut presbyterian
who believed that a vegetarian diet could relieve one’s sexual tensions
(bless him) but his signature flour combination fills my mouth with the
taste of key-lime/coconut pie.
But
while we’re on the subject of camping, high-brow style--let me roll
with this one folks--then let us boost this simple cracker. The internet
proved insufficient in my hunt for a vegan and gluten-free and
palm-free graham cracker--indeed such a combination can hardly be
called a “graham cracker” for it lacks Sylvester Graham’s wholesome
flour, as well as its signature honey-filled flavour. Nonetheless, one
can produce a delicate yet hearty and crumbly ‘cracker’ that can be used
as a crust, truffle casing, or cracker-sandwich. Of course, I got lucky
with some inspiration from two immensely positive gals in the
gluten-free world*, so here’s the vegan (and simpler flour combo) spin
on their recipes.
Though,
there’s always a lyrical, musical inspiration... The Roches always make
me nostalgic for the days of canoodling over a still lake in early
morning.
“Graham” Cookies
Dry
½ C oat/brown rice flour (+ approx. 2 tbsp)
1 C white/sweet rice flour
¾ C potato/tapioca starches
¾ tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 C organic dark brown sugar
7 ½ tbsp organic, fair trade coconut oil (frozen)
Moist
1 tbsp pure, fair trade vanilla extract
½ C flax ‘milk’
3 tbsp (between 1/8-1/4 cp, to taste) raw, fair trade blue agave nectar
2 tbsp water
Combine
dry ingredients, ensuring the mix is even, and then mix in the cold
coconut oil (with a pastry cutter). The mix should be dry and flaky,
like coarse flour.
In a small bowl whisk the moist ingredients together and add them to the dry, until just combined. As
is the case with any pastry recipe, it works best if as many
ingredients as possible are cold (or lower than room temperature). This
will help ensure your mixture is crumbly and flaky, while also not being
overworked. Plop your dough into lightly dusted cellophane and refrigerate for 2 hours.
After
roughly 1.5 hours refrigeration, preheat your oven to 350°F (depending
on the dryness of your dough you may find that 325°F works better).
Roll
out your dough 1/8 inch thick and slice (with pizza cutter or regular,
floured knife) 6/2 ¾ inches—place on parchment papered baking sheet and
refrigerate again for 10 minutes or so. Prick the squares with a fork to ensure even baking.
Bake
for roughly 15 minutes (depending on what flours you’ve used they may
bake more slowly). Let cool before processing for crumbs.
*Shauna,
“the gluten-free girl”, is a great place to begin for gluten-free
anything! She provided some helpful tips for making the “graham” cookie
and keeping light and all it should be:
http://glutenfreegirl.com/gluten-free-graham-crackers/
The
bold and bright, Lauren, otherwise known as “the celiac teen” has also
put up an interesting variation on a traditional graham recipe, used to
recreate a labouriously stunning nanaimo creation:
http://www.celiacteen.com/2010/my-daring-bakers-challenge-gluten-free/
Monday, 21 May 2012
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Kids In The Kitchen: A Mother's Day Ode
After
reading some beautiful, funny, heart-warming blogs of Cooking-Moms, I
must foray albeit blindly into this world, if only to say “thank-you” to
my own mother.
Overhearing many mommy-wars, I can already feel the tingling judgment of women about to pounce with the true remarks that I am not a mother--what could a girl, barely in her mid-20s possibly know about the stresses/joys of having a child (or children) in the kitchen? Quite right they would be--I still live with my parents, stalling the dreadfully frightening but inevitable independence of fully self-sustained living. What could I possibly know about keeping one child entertained, while changing the diapers of the other, while attempting to compose some semblance of a “proper” dinner. Fine for me to make up a quiche recipe, resulting in an scrumptious, quiet meal at 10 (...or sometime thereafter) at night. No children to put to bed, no games to suggest only to be met with “but I’ve done that already!” The only dire needs in my life are petty compared to those of a child in need of mommy.
Rather, I have merely been that child (and in many ways still am). Not long ago I called out for my mom, a shriek to the heavens that amounted in the smallest but biggest of reasons, to simply have her there. I was ill so the lapse of judgment is forgiven. Every mother (and father, but sorry pops, this is mum’s day) has experienced this puzzling, adorable, frustrating phenomenon of a child in desperate need for... for... Hence the frustration for it is an incommunicable need. It is not merely attention, validation, or support we seek from our mothers but something far more basic. It can seem unearthly impossible to the multitasking mom--”WHAT?!” But that’s the wrong question. It is your smile, your loving glance, your undivided playful and strong attention, your perfect touch, but most of all to continue being a part of you and your life that we seek upon that cry.
I am beyond grateful for my mother’s acceptance of me in her kitchen--even more grateful that she never let tell that it was hers while she was using it. Early memories of peanut-butter fingered, crusty nosed and mouthed and ever-determined me would help roll the pizza dough, aware of the hot oven but carefully peeking into it. It was ours. My mother did not sigh and give me a shoe lace. Or maybe she did and it worked so well that my memories do not read it as an attempt to get me out of her sacred space...
The kitchen is communal. No matter how hard we try to keep it a perfect sanctuary, by definition, that is not what it is. Your kitchen is chaos, it is delicious exploration and experimentation, it is a heap of messy dishes--a carnage that lays proof to your abundant feast that left you bursting and satiated. Your kitchen is proof of your ingenuity, your ability to provide, even if none of the right ingredients lay present in your diminished cupboard. Are these not boosted by collaborative efforts?
Your child of three will not help you tidy (unless she’s like the magical three year old I provided care to whilst attending university) but if you continue to include children, eventually they will. The first rule of the kitchen that my frenetic and gorgeously untidy mother taught me was not to get out the measuring spoons but to fill the sink with hot, soapy water. As we baked, each dirtied spoon and dish was tossed there. Everything and everyone has their place but that does not mean mommy in the kitchen and occupied kid elsewhere. Engage your child, take a little more time, and eventually they’ll figure it out.
Our kitchen is currently shared, sometimes tensely, between four people and two animals at a minimum, each eating separate meals, though attempting to do so at roughly the same time. For the first time, six months ago, my father uttered the words, “It’s my kitchen, too!” which was met with an utterly scathing look from my mother (to be fair, he had half of the space). In that moment I realized that she was proud not only of my food choices but of my cooking abilities, of my growth and of my manner. She understood that our joint efforts with pizzas, muffins, cookies, cakes, etc. were enabling me to feel confident, competent, and creative in a kitchen space. To own, not the space, but one’s taste creations, and thus to take care of the communal space. A kitchen, as the facilitator of all flavours should be taken care of; if your children are not a part of that space, if they know it only as the magical place where mommy (or, as it was for me growing up, daddy) brings out the food, then they will be ill-prepared to look after that space as they grow. View your kitchen as one more place to nurture your children, and they will look after it. Take it from the one who cleans it!
So thank-you, mom, not only for providing the best pastries and muffins ever but for sharing the sacred space and those secret recipes. I hope my use of our kitchen continues to do you justice.
Overhearing many mommy-wars, I can already feel the tingling judgment of women about to pounce with the true remarks that I am not a mother--what could a girl, barely in her mid-20s possibly know about the stresses/joys of having a child (or children) in the kitchen? Quite right they would be--I still live with my parents, stalling the dreadfully frightening but inevitable independence of fully self-sustained living. What could I possibly know about keeping one child entertained, while changing the diapers of the other, while attempting to compose some semblance of a “proper” dinner. Fine for me to make up a quiche recipe, resulting in an scrumptious, quiet meal at 10 (...or sometime thereafter) at night. No children to put to bed, no games to suggest only to be met with “but I’ve done that already!” The only dire needs in my life are petty compared to those of a child in need of mommy.
Rather, I have merely been that child (and in many ways still am). Not long ago I called out for my mom, a shriek to the heavens that amounted in the smallest but biggest of reasons, to simply have her there. I was ill so the lapse of judgment is forgiven. Every mother (and father, but sorry pops, this is mum’s day) has experienced this puzzling, adorable, frustrating phenomenon of a child in desperate need for... for... Hence the frustration for it is an incommunicable need. It is not merely attention, validation, or support we seek from our mothers but something far more basic. It can seem unearthly impossible to the multitasking mom--”WHAT?!” But that’s the wrong question. It is your smile, your loving glance, your undivided playful and strong attention, your perfect touch, but most of all to continue being a part of you and your life that we seek upon that cry.
I am beyond grateful for my mother’s acceptance of me in her kitchen--even more grateful that she never let tell that it was hers while she was using it. Early memories of peanut-butter fingered, crusty nosed and mouthed and ever-determined me would help roll the pizza dough, aware of the hot oven but carefully peeking into it. It was ours. My mother did not sigh and give me a shoe lace. Or maybe she did and it worked so well that my memories do not read it as an attempt to get me out of her sacred space...
The kitchen is communal. No matter how hard we try to keep it a perfect sanctuary, by definition, that is not what it is. Your kitchen is chaos, it is delicious exploration and experimentation, it is a heap of messy dishes--a carnage that lays proof to your abundant feast that left you bursting and satiated. Your kitchen is proof of your ingenuity, your ability to provide, even if none of the right ingredients lay present in your diminished cupboard. Are these not boosted by collaborative efforts?
Your child of three will not help you tidy (unless she’s like the magical three year old I provided care to whilst attending university) but if you continue to include children, eventually they will. The first rule of the kitchen that my frenetic and gorgeously untidy mother taught me was not to get out the measuring spoons but to fill the sink with hot, soapy water. As we baked, each dirtied spoon and dish was tossed there. Everything and everyone has their place but that does not mean mommy in the kitchen and occupied kid elsewhere. Engage your child, take a little more time, and eventually they’ll figure it out.
Our kitchen is currently shared, sometimes tensely, between four people and two animals at a minimum, each eating separate meals, though attempting to do so at roughly the same time. For the first time, six months ago, my father uttered the words, “It’s my kitchen, too!” which was met with an utterly scathing look from my mother (to be fair, he had half of the space). In that moment I realized that she was proud not only of my food choices but of my cooking abilities, of my growth and of my manner. She understood that our joint efforts with pizzas, muffins, cookies, cakes, etc. were enabling me to feel confident, competent, and creative in a kitchen space. To own, not the space, but one’s taste creations, and thus to take care of the communal space. A kitchen, as the facilitator of all flavours should be taken care of; if your children are not a part of that space, if they know it only as the magical place where mommy (or, as it was for me growing up, daddy) brings out the food, then they will be ill-prepared to look after that space as they grow. View your kitchen as one more place to nurture your children, and they will look after it. Take it from the one who cleans it!
So thank-you, mom, not only for providing the best pastries and muffins ever but for sharing the sacred space and those secret recipes. I hope my use of our kitchen continues to do you justice.
Saturday, 12 May 2012
Apple Spice Muffins
Some
of my best memories of childhood come from baking muffins with my mom.
Few memories can puncture the sweet smell of something warm in the oven,
teasing the impatient belly while quietly teaching the intuition of
readiness. Save for twirling in the rain (in a twirly dress and muddy
sneakers) staring at ants and worms, and being read to, no memory is as
crystal, as salient, or as rich. And so as the spring worms uncurl their
bodies and as the obnoxious but inevitable ants crawl happily over
discarded cat food, I am much inclined toward nostalgic reminiscing and
momentous discoveries of new traditions.
One of my all-time favourite food-writers, Karina, the quirky Gluten-Free Goddess, posted some years ago a recipe for gooey-delicious apple muffins. As the Canadian season of apples has now come nearly full-circle with new buds blossoming, and with worms, and muffin-needs, the words of Rambling Richard of Twice Upon a Time (Irwin Shapiro and Adrienne Adams) forever mulling in my brain, and Apples in my stereo... Life is just about starting to make sense!
Inspired, I made a fusion of my hand-me-down recipe (circa 1980), Karina’s rustic delight, along with some sorghum-free tricks of my own (because no matter how good life gets, it’s made all the better with a rant!) of a vegan, gluten-free apple-spice muffin--tested and improved by the wise maternal powers that be.
“Green Machine” was one of the first tracks I heard by Apples in Stereo, off of Fun Trick Noisemaker, on my very first computer--blew my 14 year old mind and helped me enter high school on the right musical note.
____________________________________________________________________________
Dry Mix
1 ½ C white or brown rice flour
¼ C potato flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp xanthan gum or guar gum (see below)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ -1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp all-spice
Moist mix
1 C apple sauce
½ C organic brown sugar (check side-bar for conversions on granulated-alternatives)
1/3 C organic vegetable/olive oil
½ C Unsweetened organic apple juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 C apple
Preheat oven to 375 and prepare 12 muffin cups
Fill muffin cups entirely and bake for 25-30 min.
____________________________________________________________________________
If you tend to shy away from muffins because they end up a spilly-over gloop, or hockey pucks, I implore you to attempt this recipe. The key to muffins is the simple act of mixing. More than the chemistry of the ingredients themselves, muffin-chemistry is all about circulation. Your mixture of dry ingredients should be well mixed so the leavening agents are fully distributed, just as your moist ingredients should be well-mixed so that by the time you put the two together minimal mixing can happen. If you over-mix your muffins they are guaranteed to be tough. Clumps and flour tuffs are more than welcome, they are necessary to the rising process. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to gently fold wet and dry together.
These muffins are exceptionally moist and fluffy, which means they keep incredibly well and may be best enjoyed the next day. Gluten-free xanthan or guar gum easily make up for the lack of binding wheat gluten, however, be aware of where these fibrous starches come from. Xanthan gum has been scrutinized for its generic use as an emulsifying agent in many products, though most significantly in formula breast-alternative milk; its dust may be a potent allergen, and it is not always clear where it comes from, so vegans take note. However the common gluten-free, corn-derived xanthan has also proven troublesome for some. Not as potent as highly processed corn starch, xanthan has been good to me, but if corn-derivatives are a no-go for you, the légume-derived and more efficient guar gum is a good bet. Simply be aware of your body--if you experience upset from légumes, guar may not be for you, however, consider what part of the food triggers the response; is it an allergy or an improperly stripped shell (the shells of légumes and many ancient grains are known to have a potent laxative effect) or a desire to minimize that particular ingredient?
If merely reducing foods for the sake of “starch is bad” consider your ingredients through a different lens. Many who scoff at xanthan gum for its corniness will often turn to sorghum, a dry and flaky starch derived from a type of grass that is in fact far more difficult for the digestive system and causes far more troubling gastrointestinal issues. My own allergies create a bias, here--the closer to hay a grass is, the more likely it is to cause a severe anaphylactic response. However, high-heat baking causes the retrograde effect of turning the sorghum from soluble fibre (which occurs in its heavy processing and steaming) back into a heavily insoluble fibre, creating a starch with greater digestive difficulties than corn. Translation: the body cannot create the enzymatic response to properly break down the vitamins, minerals, and proteins present in the starch. However, if you are in need of a tough insoluble fibre to quell the laxative effects of other foods, sorghum may be just what you are looking for.
No starch is outright bad, it may simply not be right for your body’s needs. Having low blood sugar and a Scot-Irish background makes potato starch a far more efficient candidate, but a peek into your own body’s sugar-starch-protein needs may reveal the opposite. When making warm-homey-gooey comfort food such as muffins, the key is merely to keep it as comfortable as can be. Keep an eye out for my foray into my go-to tumbleweed cousin, quinoa, and my blind journey through the herbal, poetic lands of amaranth and arrowroot. Simply relive the nurturing, childhood comfort of a freshly baked, mouth-watering delight.
For further reading:
The lovely and funny Gluten-free Goddess http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.ca/2008/11/cinnamon-apple-muffins.html
A more objective take on sorghum and farming practices
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorghum#Nutritional_profile_of_sorghum
A fantastic resource for all walks of cooking
http://www.foodsubs.com/ThickenStarch.html
One of my all-time favourite food-writers, Karina, the quirky Gluten-Free Goddess, posted some years ago a recipe for gooey-delicious apple muffins. As the Canadian season of apples has now come nearly full-circle with new buds blossoming, and with worms, and muffin-needs, the words of Rambling Richard of Twice Upon a Time (Irwin Shapiro and Adrienne Adams) forever mulling in my brain, and Apples in my stereo... Life is just about starting to make sense!
Inspired, I made a fusion of my hand-me-down recipe (circa 1980), Karina’s rustic delight, along with some sorghum-free tricks of my own (because no matter how good life gets, it’s made all the better with a rant!) of a vegan, gluten-free apple-spice muffin--tested and improved by the wise maternal powers that be.
“Green Machine” was one of the first tracks I heard by Apples in Stereo, off of Fun Trick Noisemaker, on my very first computer--blew my 14 year old mind and helped me enter high school on the right musical note.
____________________________________________________________________________
Dry Mix
1 ½ C white or brown rice flour
¼ C potato flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp xanthan gum or guar gum (see below)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ -1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp all-spice
Moist mix
1 C apple sauce
½ C organic brown sugar (check side-bar for conversions on granulated-alternatives)
1/3 C organic vegetable/olive oil
½ C Unsweetened organic apple juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 C apple
Preheat oven to 375 and prepare 12 muffin cups
Fill muffin cups entirely and bake for 25-30 min.
____________________________________________________________________________
If you tend to shy away from muffins because they end up a spilly-over gloop, or hockey pucks, I implore you to attempt this recipe. The key to muffins is the simple act of mixing. More than the chemistry of the ingredients themselves, muffin-chemistry is all about circulation. Your mixture of dry ingredients should be well mixed so the leavening agents are fully distributed, just as your moist ingredients should be well-mixed so that by the time you put the two together minimal mixing can happen. If you over-mix your muffins they are guaranteed to be tough. Clumps and flour tuffs are more than welcome, they are necessary to the rising process. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to gently fold wet and dry together.
These muffins are exceptionally moist and fluffy, which means they keep incredibly well and may be best enjoyed the next day. Gluten-free xanthan or guar gum easily make up for the lack of binding wheat gluten, however, be aware of where these fibrous starches come from. Xanthan gum has been scrutinized for its generic use as an emulsifying agent in many products, though most significantly in formula breast-alternative milk; its dust may be a potent allergen, and it is not always clear where it comes from, so vegans take note. However the common gluten-free, corn-derived xanthan has also proven troublesome for some. Not as potent as highly processed corn starch, xanthan has been good to me, but if corn-derivatives are a no-go for you, the légume-derived and more efficient guar gum is a good bet. Simply be aware of your body--if you experience upset from légumes, guar may not be for you, however, consider what part of the food triggers the response; is it an allergy or an improperly stripped shell (the shells of légumes and many ancient grains are known to have a potent laxative effect) or a desire to minimize that particular ingredient?
If merely reducing foods for the sake of “starch is bad” consider your ingredients through a different lens. Many who scoff at xanthan gum for its corniness will often turn to sorghum, a dry and flaky starch derived from a type of grass that is in fact far more difficult for the digestive system and causes far more troubling gastrointestinal issues. My own allergies create a bias, here--the closer to hay a grass is, the more likely it is to cause a severe anaphylactic response. However, high-heat baking causes the retrograde effect of turning the sorghum from soluble fibre (which occurs in its heavy processing and steaming) back into a heavily insoluble fibre, creating a starch with greater digestive difficulties than corn. Translation: the body cannot create the enzymatic response to properly break down the vitamins, minerals, and proteins present in the starch. However, if you are in need of a tough insoluble fibre to quell the laxative effects of other foods, sorghum may be just what you are looking for.
No starch is outright bad, it may simply not be right for your body’s needs. Having low blood sugar and a Scot-Irish background makes potato starch a far more efficient candidate, but a peek into your own body’s sugar-starch-protein needs may reveal the opposite. When making warm-homey-gooey comfort food such as muffins, the key is merely to keep it as comfortable as can be. Keep an eye out for my foray into my go-to tumbleweed cousin, quinoa, and my blind journey through the herbal, poetic lands of amaranth and arrowroot. Simply relive the nurturing, childhood comfort of a freshly baked, mouth-watering delight.
For further reading:
The lovely and funny Gluten-free Goddess http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.ca/2008/11/cinnamon-apple-muffins.html
A more objective take on sorghum and farming practices
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorghum#Nutritional_profile_of_sorghum
A fantastic resource for all walks of cooking
http://www.foodsubs.com/ThickenStarch.html
Egg Replacers - stop the box!
Many
recipes out there, on the internet and in books, refer to store-bought
egg replacers. It’s magic in a cardboard doo-thingey!
But get real. As chef extraordinaires from Jamie Oliver, to Ina Garten, to Guy Fieri discuss the importance of free-range, organic meats and produce, why not make the same demands on the alternatives to those products? If my parents casually scrutinize a container of eggs as if it were the most natural of human instincts, inspecting the origins (must be reasonably local, sustainable, free-range, and the list goes on) why would I, experimenting with egglessness, pick up a generic egg-replacer chock-full of empty emulsifiers, and chemical names I can’t pronounce!?
So many options exist as egg-replacers that you will be flashing excited eyes, scouring your pantry for the unlikely, surprisingly healthy alternatives.
Many are aware of a tbsp of water and/or vinegar, if you need something in a pinch (if someone ate the last egg) but ¼ cp of banana or apple mash will also do and can totally blast up the taste of your baking several notches--the mere thought of blueberry-banana muffins render my palette a sloppy mess. Local apples are by far the best way to go, though. Recall my rant on palm fruit oil? Unfortunately, the treatment of labourers who pick those lovely bananas amounts to similar degrees of unfairness (even checking for where they’re from, or for organic does not make up for the lack of fair trade). If you’re allergic to apples, in which case they make you a hyper, irritable mess, ¼ cp of silken tofu will make a mouth-watering alternative. Or why not purée some stewed pears for a pear mash? But there are also some surprising fruit, soy/emulsifier-free egg replacements.
Flax meal is an insoluble fibre that relates to the enzymatic breakdown of ancient grains--if you’re making a spelt muffin or cookie, flax is a fantastic pairing that will boost the nutrients, taste, and quality of your baked good. Replace each egg with 1 tbsp of flax meal and 3 tbsp of hot water, letting it thicken and cool for about 5 minutes. The only thing to bear in mind with this method is that once the 5 minutes are up, you may want to wait a touch longer or stick the mix in the fridge for a tick, since most recipes are temperature-dependent. Humidity can make your cakes fall, eggs too hot or cold can either sink your goods into pucks or can begin cooking them during the mixing process, giving you an inconsistent overdone product. Flax is a fantastic fibre source for many, for some, as I have explained in other posts, proteins, fibres, starches, etc. break down so differently that one person’s regulator is another’s blocker.
Enter the mighty chia seed, no longer the tacky plant of the 90s. Chia is a fibrous plant source that has been of great assistance to me these past few months. My primary yogi-holistic-yuppie-hippie go-to, Joy McCarthy of Joyous Health (sorry Sarah Britton) casually posted this exciting power seed as an egg-replacement in her post on utterly pointless but delicious cookies: “2 tbsp of chia combined with 8 tbsp water (let sit till it becomes pudding-like before combining).” Room-temperature, under 5 minutes, water soluble, and a powerhouse of nutrients--boosting your empty cookies to sources of dietary fibre.
What’s not to love?!
But whether just plain water, flax, chia, fruit purée, tofu, vinegar, or nut butters there are many alternatives to store-bought egg-replacers easy to find in the home.
Sources for this post:
The lovely, genuine: http://www.joyoushealth.ca/2011/12/05/gluten-free-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
The vegan basics are outlined by busy mom-of-five in Kelly Rudnicki’s, Vegan Baking Classics, proving that a no muss no fuss busy at home mom can make vegan/nut-free work.
But get real. As chef extraordinaires from Jamie Oliver, to Ina Garten, to Guy Fieri discuss the importance of free-range, organic meats and produce, why not make the same demands on the alternatives to those products? If my parents casually scrutinize a container of eggs as if it were the most natural of human instincts, inspecting the origins (must be reasonably local, sustainable, free-range, and the list goes on) why would I, experimenting with egglessness, pick up a generic egg-replacer chock-full of empty emulsifiers, and chemical names I can’t pronounce!?
So many options exist as egg-replacers that you will be flashing excited eyes, scouring your pantry for the unlikely, surprisingly healthy alternatives.
Many are aware of a tbsp of water and/or vinegar, if you need something in a pinch (if someone ate the last egg) but ¼ cp of banana or apple mash will also do and can totally blast up the taste of your baking several notches--the mere thought of blueberry-banana muffins render my palette a sloppy mess. Local apples are by far the best way to go, though. Recall my rant on palm fruit oil? Unfortunately, the treatment of labourers who pick those lovely bananas amounts to similar degrees of unfairness (even checking for where they’re from, or for organic does not make up for the lack of fair trade). If you’re allergic to apples, in which case they make you a hyper, irritable mess, ¼ cp of silken tofu will make a mouth-watering alternative. Or why not purée some stewed pears for a pear mash? But there are also some surprising fruit, soy/emulsifier-free egg replacements.
Flax meal is an insoluble fibre that relates to the enzymatic breakdown of ancient grains--if you’re making a spelt muffin or cookie, flax is a fantastic pairing that will boost the nutrients, taste, and quality of your baked good. Replace each egg with 1 tbsp of flax meal and 3 tbsp of hot water, letting it thicken and cool for about 5 minutes. The only thing to bear in mind with this method is that once the 5 minutes are up, you may want to wait a touch longer or stick the mix in the fridge for a tick, since most recipes are temperature-dependent. Humidity can make your cakes fall, eggs too hot or cold can either sink your goods into pucks or can begin cooking them during the mixing process, giving you an inconsistent overdone product. Flax is a fantastic fibre source for many, for some, as I have explained in other posts, proteins, fibres, starches, etc. break down so differently that one person’s regulator is another’s blocker.
Enter the mighty chia seed, no longer the tacky plant of the 90s. Chia is a fibrous plant source that has been of great assistance to me these past few months. My primary yogi-holistic-yuppie-hippie go-to, Joy McCarthy of Joyous Health (sorry Sarah Britton) casually posted this exciting power seed as an egg-replacement in her post on utterly pointless but delicious cookies: “2 tbsp of chia combined with 8 tbsp water (let sit till it becomes pudding-like before combining).” Room-temperature, under 5 minutes, water soluble, and a powerhouse of nutrients--boosting your empty cookies to sources of dietary fibre.
What’s not to love?!
But whether just plain water, flax, chia, fruit purée, tofu, vinegar, or nut butters there are many alternatives to store-bought egg-replacers easy to find in the home.
Sources for this post:
The lovely, genuine: http://www.joyoushealth.ca/2011/12/05/gluten-free-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
The vegan basics are outlined by busy mom-of-five in Kelly Rudnicki’s, Vegan Baking Classics, proving that a no muss no fuss busy at home mom can make vegan/nut-free work.
Lavender Truffles
Some have claimed that lavender originates from East Asia, though perhaps some of the more proudly Greek/Italian among us may boast its nativity to be the Mediterranean. It is seeming more likely that both claims may be accurate, as there are so many ‘species’ of the herb--ranging from North America, across Europe, through Turkey and Asia. (*Check the bottom of this page for some of these varying claims, histories, and uses, each as rich and mysterious as the herb itself.) Each species of lavender offers subtly different shades and hues, aromas, and flavours and even aromatherapeutic/healing qualities. However, its pairing with chocolate is probably its least contentious aspect; even French chefs have finally realized the joys of adding the herb to not merely a savoury lamb shank but to the far more coveted cacao.
I’ve noticed many happy foodies blogging about this herb so at risk of telling you all information you already know let me set the mood with some tunage de provance and suggest some tips to help you perfect and refine your lovely rustic recipes.
Before discussing the uses of culinary lavender buds, let us discuss which types and where. They may be poured out of a lovely McCormick’s bottle. Or they may be obtained from a planter box you bought on a whim with a sense of quiet adventure bubbling--those quaint little green basins make me giddy! However, if you’re feeling even more adventurous, as I have as of late (aka living repugnantly care-free, sans constraints and demands of hard adult living) then you may have a twinkle in your eye with the question, how can I grow it? Thankfully it grows like a weed (check your garden) so transplanting is quite simple. If you have a blossoming green thumb for veggies and herbs, I will be on that road shortly, posting wildly my successes and failures. But for the meantime, check out Gayla Trail’s lovely book, Grow Great Grub and keep in mind that lavender enjoys dry sunlight.
Digressing now to the steeping. Lavender, though delicate, packs a surprisingly powerful punch. Though florally aromatic, known for its ability to calm and soothe, lavender has a beautiful dark side. With proper cooking, you can achieve both elements in the taste--a subtle aromatic wave, followed by a spicy, peppery pungency, swept aside by delicate sweetness. You will want to run away to Paris, as our Montréal poetess, Mavis Gallant, has done!
Use roughly 1 tsp* (1/6 oz), heating your cream (or coconut milk, which pairs beautifully) first (otherwise you will burn the little buds). Once it starts to bubble slightly turn off the heat, add your lavender, give it quick stir and cover. Let it be for 45 minutes, gently heating in between for a short time to give an added boost. Strain the browned buds and breathe in the aroma.
*A little goes a long way, but too little leaves your chocolate lacklustre but chocolate nonetheless, so air on the side of caution when measuring out your buds.
Once you’ve recovered from the transporting wave of a Mediterranean breeze (or, like me, watched Parfume for the upteenth time) then reheat your infused cream following
The Basic Truffle Recipe. Do not add your chocolate directly into the pot, it will burn and I will cry.
Back to the Mediterranean... How most people consider this region is, in fact, only a minute portion; it stretches from Portugal and Syria, across the Balkans and the Adriatic, into Turkey and Western Asia, with its climate stretching upward through the lower Alps. So where within this vast region would Lavender have originated, and does it even matter? As a point of interest, this delicate herb owned, stolen, borrowed, and kept by so many throughout the centuries, regardless of its origin held much sway in trades; so, its role in trading could provide some clues. For instance, the Romans referred to it by the Syrian town Naarda, the first stop along the trade route. Many seem to wish for this herb to have a location, to be possessed, to have a root. For some time I had desperately searched for its earliest uses in chocolate, coming across an apparent inter-Mediterranean feud, peppered with some Belgian and American boasting. However, I am content to leave the herb, which has always been a source of whimsy for my fairy-loving imagination, as what it is--a nomadic, romantic, and I daresay, transcendent delight that is not bound to humans but which may bind our tastes.
*
http://haystacksandchampagne.blogspot.ca/2012/01/dark-chocolate-lavender-truffleslove-at.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender
http://www.complete-herbal.com/details/lavender.html
http://www.lavenderfarm.com/history.htm
http://cookingwithchopin.blogspot.ca/2011/08/lavender-truffles.html
I’ve noticed many happy foodies blogging about this herb so at risk of telling you all information you already know let me set the mood with some tunage de provance and suggest some tips to help you perfect and refine your lovely rustic recipes.
"Lavender" - Forest King
Digressing now to the steeping. Lavender, though delicate, packs a surprisingly powerful punch. Though florally aromatic, known for its ability to calm and soothe, lavender has a beautiful dark side. With proper cooking, you can achieve both elements in the taste--a subtle aromatic wave, followed by a spicy, peppery pungency, swept aside by delicate sweetness. You will want to run away to Paris, as our Montréal poetess, Mavis Gallant, has done!
Use roughly 1 tsp* (1/6 oz), heating your cream (or coconut milk, which pairs beautifully) first (otherwise you will burn the little buds). Once it starts to bubble slightly turn off the heat, add your lavender, give it quick stir and cover. Let it be for 45 minutes, gently heating in between for a short time to give an added boost. Strain the browned buds and breathe in the aroma.
*A little goes a long way, but too little leaves your chocolate lacklustre but chocolate nonetheless, so air on the side of caution when measuring out your buds.
Once you’ve recovered from the transporting wave of a Mediterranean breeze (or, like me, watched Parfume for the upteenth time) then reheat your infused cream following
The Basic Truffle Recipe. Do not add your chocolate directly into the pot, it will burn and I will cry.
Back to the Mediterranean... How most people consider this region is, in fact, only a minute portion; it stretches from Portugal and Syria, across the Balkans and the Adriatic, into Turkey and Western Asia, with its climate stretching upward through the lower Alps. So where within this vast region would Lavender have originated, and does it even matter? As a point of interest, this delicate herb owned, stolen, borrowed, and kept by so many throughout the centuries, regardless of its origin held much sway in trades; so, its role in trading could provide some clues. For instance, the Romans referred to it by the Syrian town Naarda, the first stop along the trade route. Many seem to wish for this herb to have a location, to be possessed, to have a root. For some time I had desperately searched for its earliest uses in chocolate, coming across an apparent inter-Mediterranean feud, peppered with some Belgian and American boasting. However, I am content to leave the herb, which has always been a source of whimsy for my fairy-loving imagination, as what it is--a nomadic, romantic, and I daresay, transcendent delight that is not bound to humans but which may bind our tastes.
*
http://haystacksandchampagne.blogspot.ca/2012/01/dark-chocolate-lavender-truffleslove-at.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender
http://www.complete-herbal.com/details/lavender.html
http://www.lavenderfarm.com/history.htm
http://cookingwithchopin.blogspot.ca/2011/08/lavender-truffles.html
Friday, 11 May 2012
Happy With Hemp
Hemp: Scrumptious, fibre-rich, ample in protein and omegas, and increasingly understood. Foodies, and not just the sock-and-sandals types, but lulu ones, too, are catching on to the wonders of this magical plant. Wonderfully diverse, its seeds (known as hemp hearts) provide a great raw topper/filler. They can be blended into a “nut” butter to rival the antioxidants and proteins of peanuts, or an equally independent allergen-free, raw, milk substitute*. A sweetly nutty taste, this milk can be used in just about anything--beware its consistency, however it won’t curdle with vinegar (but is a fine buttermilk substitute anyway) but will thicken and separate when heated in the pan (quite normal but means you may need to water it down or add more). When ground into a fine powder, hemp is also an antioxidant-rich alternative to whey protein, so the bros can get behind it, too!
Increasingly, foodies and the public-at-large are becoming aware of the multi-purpose plant known as hemp. Boasted as one of the most sustainable crops, it can be turned into soap and a variety of other body care products (as someone with sensitive skin, hemp is a lifesaver) and is a comfortable, durable, breathable fabric. But this is old news.
Hemp remains, however, misunderstood in some aspects. Eager to cast aside the ‘higher’ or stoning properties of the plant, bloggers have discussed how hemp will not get you high. This is very true, for the plant from which hemp is produced is quite different from the plant producing sticky, THC-filled buds of marijuana.
Award-winning blogger and successful holistic nutritionist, Sarah Britton, claims in her post of delicious hemp bars** that the difference lies in the fact that there are two strains of the plant--Cannabis Sativa vs. Cannabis Indica. Thankfully, this cannabis cooker is here to tell you that when making a hemp-protein shake, for the love of Marley do NOT say that it is a Sativa L. smoothie! Both are in fact marijuana... and both are hemp. But before you queue music from The Twilight Zone, let me explain: the difference rests in that there are two sexes. It is the fertile, erotic female plant that produces the bud. If she is of the Indica strain of Cannabis, she will be a smaller plant (similar to a shrub, bursting with thick leafy foliage) giving you a sleepy body-buzz, relieving tension, stress, and pain making it the ideal candidate for medicinal use. Meanwhile, if your budding plant is of the Sativastrain, she may grow up to 10 ft tall, producing a high just as vibrantly energetic (her fanned-out, delicate leaves and slender stalk are the recognized symbol of marijuana). However, there are many hybrids to choose from. As any site or store providing cannabis seeds will inform you, the difference--but also the symbiosis--is in the leaf, the sex, the high. The male Cannabis Indica/Sativa plant produces no buds and contains negligible amounts of THC but provides all the other uses listed above, as well as providing important fertilization of the female plant. For proper growth they need one another--I can get quite romantic about this...
Suffice it to say, Ms. Britton, while on my list of go-to-foodies, is not on my left hand side.
Before getting in a fuss about my self-professed stoned-cuisine, consider the impacts of other painkillers. Many individuals, myself among them, experience a high tolerance to morphine and its derivatives, and to many other painkillers--indeed, none succeeded in quelling the pain of endometriosis. However, their mediocre successes resulted in the dampening of all abdominal sensations, from all forms of appetites to other bodily necessities, not to mention the psychological and gastrointestinal effects. Indica’s healing power dulled the pain, while allowing me to centre my focus upon the very area that was troubling my life, assisting not only the pain but the overall healing process.
If you’re interested in the chemistry of cooking with this plant, there are many wonderful resources out there. The one that inspired me first is Cooking with Cannabis, which blows the roof off of the lowly brownie with a bombshell recipe for guacamole, proving that the best match for cannabis is not sweet, but amino-healthy savoury.
But regardless of which sex you prefer, cannabis is one of the most inspiring, exciting, healthfully invigorating ingredients out there.
*Bryanna is has been a real internet jem in my hunts for homemade vegan alternatives. She opened me to a world free of bland rice milk, overdone soy milk, and canker-producing almond milk--add to your list hemp and oat milks and your taste buds will thank you. http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2009/03/easy-homemade-hemp-milk-and-how-to-use.html
*Robin Russell’s website is fantastic for those with allergies but also quite enlightening--she definitely is having her cake and is happily nomming it down, proving the puckered pouters are passé! Plus she’ll turn you onto some way cool kitchen toys.
http://www.recipenet.org/health/recipes/recipkit/hemp_butter.htm
**Knowledgeable about most ingredients, and a creator of delicious, wholesome foods fit for the modern yogi, Sarah Britton is the adorable brains behind New Roots, check her out!
http://mynewroots.blogspot.ca/2011/07/totally-baked-hemp-protein-granola-bars.html
Increasingly, foodies and the public-at-large are becoming aware of the multi-purpose plant known as hemp. Boasted as one of the most sustainable crops, it can be turned into soap and a variety of other body care products (as someone with sensitive skin, hemp is a lifesaver) and is a comfortable, durable, breathable fabric. But this is old news.
Hemp remains, however, misunderstood in some aspects. Eager to cast aside the ‘higher’ or stoning properties of the plant, bloggers have discussed how hemp will not get you high. This is very true, for the plant from which hemp is produced is quite different from the plant producing sticky, THC-filled buds of marijuana.
Award-winning blogger and successful holistic nutritionist, Sarah Britton, claims in her post of delicious hemp bars** that the difference lies in the fact that there are two strains of the plant--Cannabis Sativa vs. Cannabis Indica. Thankfully, this cannabis cooker is here to tell you that when making a hemp-protein shake, for the love of Marley do NOT say that it is a Sativa L. smoothie! Both are in fact marijuana... and both are hemp. But before you queue music from The Twilight Zone, let me explain: the difference rests in that there are two sexes. It is the fertile, erotic female plant that produces the bud. If she is of the Indica strain of Cannabis, she will be a smaller plant (similar to a shrub, bursting with thick leafy foliage) giving you a sleepy body-buzz, relieving tension, stress, and pain making it the ideal candidate for medicinal use. Meanwhile, if your budding plant is of the Sativastrain, she may grow up to 10 ft tall, producing a high just as vibrantly energetic (her fanned-out, delicate leaves and slender stalk are the recognized symbol of marijuana). However, there are many hybrids to choose from. As any site or store providing cannabis seeds will inform you, the difference--but also the symbiosis--is in the leaf, the sex, the high. The male Cannabis Indica/Sativa plant produces no buds and contains negligible amounts of THC but provides all the other uses listed above, as well as providing important fertilization of the female plant. For proper growth they need one another--I can get quite romantic about this...
Suffice it to say, Ms. Britton, while on my list of go-to-foodies, is not on my left hand side.
Before getting in a fuss about my self-professed stoned-cuisine, consider the impacts of other painkillers. Many individuals, myself among them, experience a high tolerance to morphine and its derivatives, and to many other painkillers--indeed, none succeeded in quelling the pain of endometriosis. However, their mediocre successes resulted in the dampening of all abdominal sensations, from all forms of appetites to other bodily necessities, not to mention the psychological and gastrointestinal effects. Indica’s healing power dulled the pain, while allowing me to centre my focus upon the very area that was troubling my life, assisting not only the pain but the overall healing process.
If you’re interested in the chemistry of cooking with this plant, there are many wonderful resources out there. The one that inspired me first is Cooking with Cannabis, which blows the roof off of the lowly brownie with a bombshell recipe for guacamole, proving that the best match for cannabis is not sweet, but amino-healthy savoury.
But regardless of which sex you prefer, cannabis is one of the most inspiring, exciting, healthfully invigorating ingredients out there.
*Bryanna is has been a real internet jem in my hunts for homemade vegan alternatives. She opened me to a world free of bland rice milk, overdone soy milk, and canker-producing almond milk--add to your list hemp and oat milks and your taste buds will thank you. http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2009/03/easy-homemade-hemp-milk-and-how-to-use.html
*Robin Russell’s website is fantastic for those with allergies but also quite enlightening--she definitely is having her cake and is happily nomming it down, proving the puckered pouters are passé! Plus she’ll turn you onto some way cool kitchen toys.
http://www.recipenet.org/health/recipes/recipkit/hemp_butter.htm
**Knowledgeable about most ingredients, and a creator of delicious, wholesome foods fit for the modern yogi, Sarah Britton is the adorable brains behind New Roots, check her out!
http://mynewroots.blogspot.ca/2011/07/totally-baked-hemp-protein-granola-bars.html
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Art & Music: An Introduction - Friends of The Hungry Poet
Here marks the first post of Art & Music. This section shall feature art, music, and film that peaks the interest of us at The Hungry Poet. This inaugural post of Art & Music is here to show off some of our friends' incredible work, some of whom will be contributing to future content on this blog!
Derek McKeon is an incredibly talented artist, hailing from Toronto. His intricate, psychedelic, and morbidly beautiful artwork demonstrates Derek's true ability as an artist.
Check it our for yourself: Visual Art of Derek McKeon
Forest King recently released his debut album: Triptych: The Edge by Supercompact Wormhole Propulsion, a concept album describing the journey of nine astronauts to the edge of the Universe.
This is album along with b-sides, and other artists can be found at Fantasy Flight Records.
Lung is an experimental noise hardcore band that has an utter disregard for eardrums, as well as convention. Deep grooves sliced by chaotic noise breaks make up their destructive oeuvre.
Lung
If your tastes are more melodic, the smooth but ever-changing tones of "Adallah Fricka" will surely mesmerize you. Music for the mind, body and soul. Check out Adallah on Facebook or on Sound Cloud.
If your tastes are more melodic, the smooth but ever-changing tones of "Adallah Fricka" will surely mesmerize you. Music for the mind, body and soul. Check out Adallah on Facebook or on Sound Cloud.
Monday, 7 May 2012
The Basic Truffle Recipe
Time
and time again, I have visited food blogs--each overpouring with
lovely, delicious, stylish, knowledgeable and witty recipes/musings--and
I have learned more about life, love, art, and food. Every foody has
brought me closer each of these elements, allowing me to gently fold
them together as every loving baker does. Love is art, life is love,
food is poetry, and so on. Simplicity. Unity. Gentle togetherness.
And then they blog about truffles.
There are some simple rules that can make or break a ganache. Thankfully, they are incredibly simple and will leave your tastebuds thanking you for that je ne sais quoi shift.
“Proper” ganache should include a mixture of heavy cream, butter, and a sugar of sorts (Lyle’s Golden Syrup or Organic Raw Agave are my preferences as opposed to corn or palm syrups) heated and poured over chocolate. Three beautiful, warm ingredients and while they are my holy trinity they can be deliciously exchanged, modified, or even upgraded (check out my vegan section for that) with the perfect fourth ingredient of a solid chocolate.
To inspire your drive toward simplicity, and to bear in mind the delicate treatment of the three ingredients going with your chocolate, why not get a little help from Three Little Birds:
_________________________________________________________________________________
The Basic Truffle Recipe
8 oz of quality chocolate*
⅔ cp heavy cream (35%-40%)
1-2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp syrup (bear in mind consistency, corn or cane syrups are thick, while agave and maple syrups are light and more like water so if using these add an oz more chocolate)
Chop the chocolate into fairly fine pieces, placing them into a heat resistant bowl. Set aside.
Gently melt the butter on medium-low heat, adding the cream shortly after. Dissolve syrup in the warm liquid and bump the heat to medium if need be. Once you see the first bubbles of boiling forming along the edges, take the cream mix off the burner. Stir.
Pour the cream mix over the chocolate and gently whisk, or stir with a wooden spoon.
Cover and place in the fridge. If you like a very shiny chocolate you can stir the ganache after 30-40 min. and cover it again or you can just leave it for a minimum of two hours.
Once cooled enough, roll the chocolate into little, big, uniform, or non-uniform balls. Either dust them in cocoa or get adventurous with spices/nuts, etc. Refrigerate or quick freeze the truffles and then you’ll have at least 30 little delights to feast upon.
*Bernard Callebaut chocolate is available in many bulk stores, but beware of blooms and aging. Chocolate can keep for up to one year if left in a cool, dry place. If you live in Toronto and are looking for vegan, fair trade chocolate, SOL is a wonderful little company, getting its chocolate as close to the source and with as little additives as possible. White chocolate can also be lovely, but bear in mind that it is the buttery mass of the cocoa bean and is thus far less solid than the reduced dark matter, so bump up this recipe to nearly double if using only white chocolate, or your fingers will end up hopelessly sticky... not that that’s a bad thing.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The most important rule is that of heat; never boil your cream and never put your chocolate directly above a heated element--the texture, look, and taste of burnt chocolate is most displeasing. Keep the chocolate in a non-heat-conducting bowl--the warmth of the cream is enough to gently melt the chocolate while not scorching it. You will find the shiny pudding-like consistency of a good ganache is not just visually pleasing but assists the setting and rolling processes--it keeps your chocolate smoother and more together, allowing for a consist set, minimizing air bubbles and blooms.
The next rule--relating to the first--is that of texture, which is why I encourage the use of even miniscule amounts of butter and syrup; your ganache should be well-mixed, shiny and lacking air pockets (as your chocolate hardens, air pockets will turn into discoloured plumes over the chocolate, making it look old and giving it an uneven texture).
The rest is entirely that of preference. While I would suggest dark chocolate, this is merely a matter of taste, despite the temptation to boast that it’s a matter of objectively better, more layered, dynamic, flavourful chocolate. However, one should be aware of taste pairings--it shouldn’t be shocking that different spices/flavourings add a different layer of taste depending on the type and quality of your chocolate, but this is no more a rule than whether or not to put oregano in pasta sauce is a rule. One will only know if one experiments. And experimenting, I have most certainly done.
It began in my fourth year of university. After two intense years of weight loss aggravated by physical and mental health problems I was determined to eat and be content with my life. I had known for some time that I had been unfulfilled and generally not where I was supposed to be--I figured, step one meant eating right (or simply eating). Yet, to figure out that the preparing of food was where I felt fulfilled, I first focused upon the consumption of food. Very quickly this trickled into the feeding of others--what foods were better for the allergies of the children I babysat and the comfort and health of their mother, what was best for my kosher-friendly friends, for the vegan-dabbling raw foody best friend, etc. I even considered foods that my bland-loving friends could enjoy. For years, muffins had been the realm of experimentation, so why not something even better and appetite-inducing? Chocolate.
Once the chocolate experimentations began, it was as if a whole new world had opened. Having been on a medication which made it difficult to fulfill most any desire (known as Wellbutrin, an anti-depressant, marketed as a smoking-cessation aid due its suppression of appetites), experimenting with the most appetizingly delicious flavours made my appetites take a more delightful turn. The making and sharing of chocolate filled the emotional wasteland that had been clear-cut by repressive medications, an unpoetic educational institution, and an increasingly devoid affection.
At this time, I had been working on an undergraduate thesis--the topic of which, unsurprisingly, was desire and its political/medical controlling/manipulating/repressing. Some people find the academic tone to be the best mode of self-expression. I realized while writing my thesis that I was not among such lovely, adamant, analytical folk. My critiques of the medical community were far too impassioned, far too cocky, and far too theoretical for the structured thesis-format. Moreover, I discovered, all too late, that it was not a form that I inherently enjoyed. Ultimately, few people truly find fulfillment and completion of self-expression in academe. They are a lucky, lost, mad few, indeed.
And then they blog about truffles.
There are some simple rules that can make or break a ganache. Thankfully, they are incredibly simple and will leave your tastebuds thanking you for that je ne sais quoi shift.
“Proper” ganache should include a mixture of heavy cream, butter, and a sugar of sorts (Lyle’s Golden Syrup or Organic Raw Agave are my preferences as opposed to corn or palm syrups) heated and poured over chocolate. Three beautiful, warm ingredients and while they are my holy trinity they can be deliciously exchanged, modified, or even upgraded (check out my vegan section for that) with the perfect fourth ingredient of a solid chocolate.
To inspire your drive toward simplicity, and to bear in mind the delicate treatment of the three ingredients going with your chocolate, why not get a little help from Three Little Birds:
_________________________________________________________________________________
The Basic Truffle Recipe
8 oz of quality chocolate*
⅔ cp heavy cream (35%-40%)
1-2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp syrup (bear in mind consistency, corn or cane syrups are thick, while agave and maple syrups are light and more like water so if using these add an oz more chocolate)
Chop the chocolate into fairly fine pieces, placing them into a heat resistant bowl. Set aside.
Gently melt the butter on medium-low heat, adding the cream shortly after. Dissolve syrup in the warm liquid and bump the heat to medium if need be. Once you see the first bubbles of boiling forming along the edges, take the cream mix off the burner. Stir.
Pour the cream mix over the chocolate and gently whisk, or stir with a wooden spoon.
Cover and place in the fridge. If you like a very shiny chocolate you can stir the ganache after 30-40 min. and cover it again or you can just leave it for a minimum of two hours.
Once cooled enough, roll the chocolate into little, big, uniform, or non-uniform balls. Either dust them in cocoa or get adventurous with spices/nuts, etc. Refrigerate or quick freeze the truffles and then you’ll have at least 30 little delights to feast upon.
*Bernard Callebaut chocolate is available in many bulk stores, but beware of blooms and aging. Chocolate can keep for up to one year if left in a cool, dry place. If you live in Toronto and are looking for vegan, fair trade chocolate, SOL is a wonderful little company, getting its chocolate as close to the source and with as little additives as possible. White chocolate can also be lovely, but bear in mind that it is the buttery mass of the cocoa bean and is thus far less solid than the reduced dark matter, so bump up this recipe to nearly double if using only white chocolate, or your fingers will end up hopelessly sticky... not that that’s a bad thing.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The most important rule is that of heat; never boil your cream and never put your chocolate directly above a heated element--the texture, look, and taste of burnt chocolate is most displeasing. Keep the chocolate in a non-heat-conducting bowl--the warmth of the cream is enough to gently melt the chocolate while not scorching it. You will find the shiny pudding-like consistency of a good ganache is not just visually pleasing but assists the setting and rolling processes--it keeps your chocolate smoother and more together, allowing for a consist set, minimizing air bubbles and blooms.
The next rule--relating to the first--is that of texture, which is why I encourage the use of even miniscule amounts of butter and syrup; your ganache should be well-mixed, shiny and lacking air pockets (as your chocolate hardens, air pockets will turn into discoloured plumes over the chocolate, making it look old and giving it an uneven texture).
The rest is entirely that of preference. While I would suggest dark chocolate, this is merely a matter of taste, despite the temptation to boast that it’s a matter of objectively better, more layered, dynamic, flavourful chocolate. However, one should be aware of taste pairings--it shouldn’t be shocking that different spices/flavourings add a different layer of taste depending on the type and quality of your chocolate, but this is no more a rule than whether or not to put oregano in pasta sauce is a rule. One will only know if one experiments. And experimenting, I have most certainly done.
It began in my fourth year of university. After two intense years of weight loss aggravated by physical and mental health problems I was determined to eat and be content with my life. I had known for some time that I had been unfulfilled and generally not where I was supposed to be--I figured, step one meant eating right (or simply eating). Yet, to figure out that the preparing of food was where I felt fulfilled, I first focused upon the consumption of food. Very quickly this trickled into the feeding of others--what foods were better for the allergies of the children I babysat and the comfort and health of their mother, what was best for my kosher-friendly friends, for the vegan-dabbling raw foody best friend, etc. I even considered foods that my bland-loving friends could enjoy. For years, muffins had been the realm of experimentation, so why not something even better and appetite-inducing? Chocolate.
Once the chocolate experimentations began, it was as if a whole new world had opened. Having been on a medication which made it difficult to fulfill most any desire (known as Wellbutrin, an anti-depressant, marketed as a smoking-cessation aid due its suppression of appetites), experimenting with the most appetizingly delicious flavours made my appetites take a more delightful turn. The making and sharing of chocolate filled the emotional wasteland that had been clear-cut by repressive medications, an unpoetic educational institution, and an increasingly devoid affection.
At this time, I had been working on an undergraduate thesis--the topic of which, unsurprisingly, was desire and its political/medical controlling/manipulating/repressing. Some people find the academic tone to be the best mode of self-expression. I realized while writing my thesis that I was not among such lovely, adamant, analytical folk. My critiques of the medical community were far too impassioned, far too cocky, and far too theoretical for the structured thesis-format. Moreover, I discovered, all too late, that it was not a form that I inherently enjoyed. Ultimately, few people truly find fulfillment and completion of self-expression in academe. They are a lucky, lost, mad few, indeed.
Vegan Truffles
Enter: the ghastly vegan truffle
Being a vegetarian for health reasons first makes a turn to veganism both unlikely and less reasonable… it’s not that I don’t find animals lovely, endearing, intelligent, and brutalized, but I’ll be the first to point out that perhaps we take our animal rights politics a little far. Known to some as a health-nut, crunchy granola “Earth Muffin” type, while known as a soon-to-be-fatty by others, I like to think that my food endeavors display a healthy medium, treading the less than fine line between conscientiously astute and extravagantly indulgent (as much as the writings of Stephen Fry tantalize me toward the side of candy-coated bliss). That said, nothing is more defeating than having made a delicious batch of goodies only to see a friend’s face sink with the timid yet lashing expression of dishonoured, jealous contempt, and self-aware bitterness—the look of “I cannot possibly eat that.”
Something must be done!
Moreover, being informed of mysterious autoimmune issues inspires one to reluctantly cast aside the delicious but inflammatory proteins of dairy. Or to at least limit the excess.
So, here I am, the lover of all things cream and butter, attempting to move beyond the thick juice of the Gods, banishing it from my kitchen until I have absolutely mastered a truffle worthy of discerning taste buds and tummies. It is my first instinct to turn to the spirits—the other juice of the Gods—thanks to the sexy and spunky Vegan Cookie Connoisseur. (Her red wine truffles intrigued me… and who doesn’t love breaking wine glasses on Valentine’s Day? http://thevegancookieconnoisseur.com/)
Not only am I challenging myself with the exorcisms of wines/spirits and whey/dairy/casein/honeys but why not throw in nuts/soy... dare we go as far as wheat? Why not make the most accessible, darkly delicious, yet sinfully guiltless truffle that could be?
Few desserts are as healing as chocolate.
(Fantasy Flight Records)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Vegan Truffle Recipe:
8 oz (approx.) of quality dark chocolate
1/3 cp-2/3 cp hemp milk/coconut milk*
1 tsp vanilla and/or coconut extract or coconut juice
1 tbsp agave or Lyle’s Golden Syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil (optional)
Simply warm the “cream” mixture with some flavourings or sweeteners of your choice, let cool slightly and pour over finely chopped chocolate (if it is a good quality chocolate, it will be vegan, as dark chocolate should not contain milk products). Cover, let sit for at least 2 hours. Uncover and roll into balls. Refrigerate again if necessary.
Roll your happy truffles in exciting powders, nuts, etc. such as desiccated coconut, cocoa powder or, better yet, spices!
*Depending on what flavourings you add, and what type of milk substitute you use, you will need to adjust the amount of liquid. For instance, if you are adding coconut juice/extract to bump up the flavour, or coconut oil to boost the buttery texture, you will require less ‘milk’. If you’re keeping it simple and adding just a dash of sweetness, you will require more.
I highly recommend using homemade hemp “cream” (which is thicker than store-bought hemp milk) or almond milk, bear in mind it will thicken and separate in the warming process, requiring a touch more liquid. Whereas, if you’re using rice milk, use less of it but you will require a lot of boosting to create a cream-like consistency. When you have rich hemp, why bother futzing with tasteless rice water?
Regardless of what you use your chocolate should ‘sing’ once you begin mixing and should retain some hold, similar to a pudding or mousse.
If it is not shiny you have either burned your chocolate or did not mix it well enough. At times, however, it is a case of the chocolate being old, or darker than suspected, in which case you may want a better quality bar or simply bump up the sweetness.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Maybe it’s because I had intimate and complicated knowledge of eating disorders from a young age (being accused of bulimia at the age of 10 by a concerned teacher is quite the way to learn what it is—even more shocking when you realize classmates to be already experiencing such painful deprivation). Maybe it’s because feeding people is a great way for someone who is socially awkward to become socially accepted, in a manner that is socially acceptable; having tried the unaccepted methods, it’s a refreshing and rewarding shift. Regardless of the reason, feeding people is a nourishing neurosis. However, like any neurotic tendency, when it cannot be fulfilled, panic!
Thankfully, I’m accustomed to the vegan ways. Ange Liddon is a nutritionist who my yogi, glowing cousine turned me onto (check her out at http://ohsheglows.com) and it just so happens that she had a recipe for just the thing I was looking for… Almost. I appreciated the sight of “full fat.” “Yippee! Just what I’m used to!” I thought to myself, as some snobby French-American chef, before returning to reality at the sight of “coconut.” This ingredient is a little too limiting for this creative nut, and a little too allergy-inducing for several friends (as much as coconut-hazelnut were meant to be together... so more on that later). However it inspired ideas—back to the spirits, an agave-tequilla truffle? Not wanting to end up in Alcoholics Anon, I then had the better, glorious realization of my favourite seed/plant/herb: hemp! At the risk of alerting the Narcs, hemp is one of the most versatile plants, period, but also one of the most scrumptiously versatile edibles—as much as we associate it with the unhealthy munchies, the best foods to pair with this plant are some of the best for you (cite my personal bible--hyperbole). Cool the jets though, hemp is the non-stoner, male part of the plant, full of protein and fibre rather than THC.
Dark-chocolate, hemp milk, vanilla bean extract, some agave, and Earth Balance, what could go wrong? …Do you feel palm oil rant coming on? I most certainly do, so brace yourselves.
How the fuck can someone who doesn’t even eat honey (no, let’s not facilitate the health and well-being of bees even though they’re going extinct!) encourage the consumption of a product that is neither sustainable nor regulated to date, a product that is destroying the habitats of several species of creatures including one of our closest relatives, the orangutan? Back to the regulation and sustainability issues: quite apart from palm fruit/seed harvesting impact on animals, its effects on humans are abominable--as is the case with nearly all unregulated mass-scale harvesting practices. If no one decides that workers should receive fair wages then no one keeps the company accountable, wages are unmaintained, leading to other abuses. Not to mention that the one thing that palm fruit has going for it (beta-carotene) we so happen to bleach out of it--if we didn’t, your margarine-coloured spread would actually be red. Don’t hate, it’s true. And if you want a more lovely human being’s take on the matter, read this ballsy and passionate post: http://loveallbeings.org/blog/earth-balance-is-not-vegan/
Being a vegetarian for health reasons first makes a turn to veganism both unlikely and less reasonable… it’s not that I don’t find animals lovely, endearing, intelligent, and brutalized, but I’ll be the first to point out that perhaps we take our animal rights politics a little far. Known to some as a health-nut, crunchy granola “Earth Muffin” type, while known as a soon-to-be-fatty by others, I like to think that my food endeavors display a healthy medium, treading the less than fine line between conscientiously astute and extravagantly indulgent (as much as the writings of Stephen Fry tantalize me toward the side of candy-coated bliss). That said, nothing is more defeating than having made a delicious batch of goodies only to see a friend’s face sink with the timid yet lashing expression of dishonoured, jealous contempt, and self-aware bitterness—the look of “I cannot possibly eat that.”
Something must be done!
Moreover, being informed of mysterious autoimmune issues inspires one to reluctantly cast aside the delicious but inflammatory proteins of dairy. Or to at least limit the excess.
So, here I am, the lover of all things cream and butter, attempting to move beyond the thick juice of the Gods, banishing it from my kitchen until I have absolutely mastered a truffle worthy of discerning taste buds and tummies. It is my first instinct to turn to the spirits—the other juice of the Gods—thanks to the sexy and spunky Vegan Cookie Connoisseur. (Her red wine truffles intrigued me… and who doesn’t love breaking wine glasses on Valentine’s Day? http://thevegancookieconnoisseur.com/)
Not only am I challenging myself with the exorcisms of wines/spirits and whey/dairy/casein/honeys but why not throw in nuts/soy... dare we go as far as wheat? Why not make the most accessible, darkly delicious, yet sinfully guiltless truffle that could be?
Few desserts are as healing as chocolate.
(Fantasy Flight Records)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Vegan Truffle Recipe:
8 oz (approx.) of quality dark chocolate
1/3 cp-2/3 cp hemp milk/coconut milk*
1 tsp vanilla and/or coconut extract or coconut juice
1 tbsp agave or Lyle’s Golden Syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil (optional)
Simply warm the “cream” mixture with some flavourings or sweeteners of your choice, let cool slightly and pour over finely chopped chocolate (if it is a good quality chocolate, it will be vegan, as dark chocolate should not contain milk products). Cover, let sit for at least 2 hours. Uncover and roll into balls. Refrigerate again if necessary.
Roll your happy truffles in exciting powders, nuts, etc. such as desiccated coconut, cocoa powder or, better yet, spices!
*Depending on what flavourings you add, and what type of milk substitute you use, you will need to adjust the amount of liquid. For instance, if you are adding coconut juice/extract to bump up the flavour, or coconut oil to boost the buttery texture, you will require less ‘milk’. If you’re keeping it simple and adding just a dash of sweetness, you will require more.
I highly recommend using homemade hemp “cream” (which is thicker than store-bought hemp milk) or almond milk, bear in mind it will thicken and separate in the warming process, requiring a touch more liquid. Whereas, if you’re using rice milk, use less of it but you will require a lot of boosting to create a cream-like consistency. When you have rich hemp, why bother futzing with tasteless rice water?
Regardless of what you use your chocolate should ‘sing’ once you begin mixing and should retain some hold, similar to a pudding or mousse.
If it is not shiny you have either burned your chocolate or did not mix it well enough. At times, however, it is a case of the chocolate being old, or darker than suspected, in which case you may want a better quality bar or simply bump up the sweetness.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Maybe it’s because I had intimate and complicated knowledge of eating disorders from a young age (being accused of bulimia at the age of 10 by a concerned teacher is quite the way to learn what it is—even more shocking when you realize classmates to be already experiencing such painful deprivation). Maybe it’s because feeding people is a great way for someone who is socially awkward to become socially accepted, in a manner that is socially acceptable; having tried the unaccepted methods, it’s a refreshing and rewarding shift. Regardless of the reason, feeding people is a nourishing neurosis. However, like any neurotic tendency, when it cannot be fulfilled, panic!
Thankfully, I’m accustomed to the vegan ways. Ange Liddon is a nutritionist who my yogi, glowing cousine turned me onto (check her out at http://ohsheglows.com) and it just so happens that she had a recipe for just the thing I was looking for… Almost. I appreciated the sight of “full fat.” “Yippee! Just what I’m used to!” I thought to myself, as some snobby French-American chef, before returning to reality at the sight of “coconut.” This ingredient is a little too limiting for this creative nut, and a little too allergy-inducing for several friends (as much as coconut-hazelnut were meant to be together... so more on that later). However it inspired ideas—back to the spirits, an agave-tequilla truffle? Not wanting to end up in Alcoholics Anon, I then had the better, glorious realization of my favourite seed/plant/herb: hemp! At the risk of alerting the Narcs, hemp is one of the most versatile plants, period, but also one of the most scrumptiously versatile edibles—as much as we associate it with the unhealthy munchies, the best foods to pair with this plant are some of the best for you (cite my personal bible--hyperbole). Cool the jets though, hemp is the non-stoner, male part of the plant, full of protein and fibre rather than THC.
Dark-chocolate, hemp milk, vanilla bean extract, some agave, and Earth Balance, what could go wrong? …Do you feel palm oil rant coming on? I most certainly do, so brace yourselves.
How the fuck can someone who doesn’t even eat honey (no, let’s not facilitate the health and well-being of bees even though they’re going extinct!) encourage the consumption of a product that is neither sustainable nor regulated to date, a product that is destroying the habitats of several species of creatures including one of our closest relatives, the orangutan? Back to the regulation and sustainability issues: quite apart from palm fruit/seed harvesting impact on animals, its effects on humans are abominable--as is the case with nearly all unregulated mass-scale harvesting practices. If no one decides that workers should receive fair wages then no one keeps the company accountable, wages are unmaintained, leading to other abuses. Not to mention that the one thing that palm fruit has going for it (beta-carotene) we so happen to bleach out of it--if we didn’t, your margarine-coloured spread would actually be red. Don’t hate, it’s true. And if you want a more lovely human being’s take on the matter, read this ballsy and passionate post: http://loveallbeings.org/blog/earth-balance-is-not-vegan/
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)