The Pantry Files

Privilege per Webster's is defined as a right or immunity granted as a benefit, advantage, or favor

Perception seems a bit tougher, involving observation and comprehension...

This past weekend I spent time at my older sister's house in Oregon and both my brother & were left with some serious questions. My sister has the perception that in comparison to her own diet, my mother's is extremely unhealthy as my mother likes the occasional cookie or donut or candy bar.

Yet my sister's pantry is filled with boxed and canned goods filled with sodium that Mom's diet should not include. We ate fried eggs and pork products everyday. Erica made cupcakes from a mix, used frosting from a container and baked premade biscuits, all of which have partially hydrogenated oil.

Oh and she drinks Ovaltine everyday. Isn't that technically a sweet?

The third, or maybe it was the sixth, time my sister griped about my mother wanting to buy danishes at the store, I opened the pantry and said "Do you have any idea how much sodium is in all this stuff?" Her response was a shrug and a comment about the fact that her husband liked that food, so that is what they had.

The only meals with vegetables we had were Thursday at Sizzler because we had the salad bar and Friday night when my brother made vegetable goulash with veggies my mom gave us money for. 

This has got me deeply thinking. I came home to a lovely beef stew with fresh potatoes, sweet potatoes and green beans. The weekend left me longing for fish. My perception is that my mother is eating the same crap my sister is serving only adding a few sweets here and there. My mother is known for liking her dessert, and we used to have 'a little something' every night when we were kids. In summer she would buy strawberries and douse them in sugar before putting them in the fridge and I would always ask if she could leave just a few plain so I could eat them that way.


So am I just responding like someone of privilege who is lucky enough to eat fresh produce with ease and has almost no canned or boxed food in their home? Or is this an issue of perception: she believes that canned food is perfectly acceptable because it isn't sugar and in her view the lack of sugar makes it 'healthy'?


When we stopped by the Ashland Co-Op on Sunday, Erica commented that she noticed how expensive things were. I said that with all my health issues in the past and our family health history I was willing to pay a little more for good, fresh food that wouldn't make me sick. She responded in the positive, so maybe in the end, she heard me after all.

Brown Sugar Cake

There is something infinitely soothing about making a cake. My favorite make to make one that requires no actual thought on my part and can be done so quickly that it boggles the mind to think so many people find it hard.

For me it is not about the end result. Sure everyone loves cake. Since my personal favorite end result is pie, cake is another matter entirely. Measuring, weighing, creaming, folding. The act itself is so satisfying that I could and apparently have, do it in my sleep.

For this recipe, you want the butter and eggs to be at room temperature. It requires a scale and I think it is worth getting the scale out for this one. Once the cake is baked and filling your house with that wonderful scent, you will see it was worth the extra bit of effort.

Luna’s ¼ lb Brown Sugar Cake

Ready?

Weigh out a quarter pound each of butter, brown sugar, flour and eggs.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Add eggs. Make sure eggs are fully absorbed. This means that the butter looks uniform.

Slowly add flour with the mixer running. Once the flour is incorporated you can stop mixing. Pull out the bowl and combine whatever is on the sides into the mix. Pour or scoop into prepared pans. This recipe yields one 6” square pan or 2 medium small loaf pans.

Bake for approx 30 min. Check them at this point because ovens vary. Mine tends to run rather hot.

Serve with berries, stone fruit, chocolate sauce, whipped cream or whatever gorgeous thing takes your fancy!

Apricot Ginger Pecan Cake

Since I love to experiment and had dried apricots and candied ginger lying about, last night I made this lovely little cake.

3/4 c dried apricots, chopped, soaked and drained
1/2 c candied ginger, chopped
1 stick butter, melted
1 c oats + 2 tsp water, stirred together

Combine throughly to make sure everything is coated by the butter.

Then add: 1/2 c pecans
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 c cornstarch

Mix together until just combined (do not overmix!)

Pour into buttered 7x2" pan and bake @325 F for about a half hour.

Let cool before taking out of pan, place on plate and then sprinkle w/powder sugar.

Enjoy!

Witch in the Kitchen: Sweet pastry in a pan

10 tbsp shortening
2/3 c brown sugar
1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour

Melt shortening over low heat in a saucepan, then add the sugar and stir until blended. Sift in flour and stir with wooden sppon until a ball forms in the pan. Let it cool, chill and then press into am 8 inch tart pan. Press lovingly into pan, raising the sides as you go.

This crust is perfect for cream cheese andc jam, for pastry cream and fresh fruit or cooked fruit!

Love Potion #9 Cake

I tried out this cake on my friends and it ended up paired with figs & goat cheese that had been baked & drizzled in balsamic. The cake is light and moist, the liqueur flavor unique. I know it was a hit because the Cheese Princess kept drifting over for more! The only addition we would have liked might have been little Love Potion #9 laced Chantilly cream.

2 c flour
2 tsp b powder
¼ tsp salt
½ c milk
½ c Love Potion #9
½ c sugar
¾ vegetable shortening
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine dry ingredients, set aside. Combine milk and Love Potion #9, set aside.
Cream shortening & sugar, add eggs. Starting & ending with flour mixture, alternately add flour mix with milk mix. Do not over mix! If you have some flour that doesn’t blend in, use a spatula.
I used four 6 x 3½ loaf pans, baked for approx 25 minutes.

Molasses Whoopie Pie

Last week, overcome by the urge to make whoopie pies, I used this recipe by Vegan Visitor:

http://veganvisitor.wordpress.com/2008/05/24/molasses-cookie-whoopie-pie/

I have made the cookies previously with great success. The whoopie pies got their seal of approval from Monkey, from the SO and from my friend Chris, who gobbled it down about 2 minutes after I handed it to him. Make and enjoy!

I think the next batch is gonna be chocolate....!

Luna's Chocolate Spelt Cake

Chocolate Spelt Cake

1 stick butter

pinch salt

¼ tsp ginger

¼ c mascarpone

1 c spelt flour

1 c muscavado

4 eggs

¼ c cream

1 c cocoa


Combine all ingredients in a processer to meld. Pour into buttered cake pan. bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream & brandy cherries.

Herbs, Flowers and dessert: redux

This post was inspired by the wonderful @PurpleFoodie last year and I thought I would polish it up and repost it since it was a such a fun one. Look for recipes with herbs and flowers with the Spring! 

At my last gig I was the Pastry Chef at a small boutique winery. There was a small garden & I spent a lot of time experimenting with herbs and flowers in my desserts.

I will likely take the White Chocolate Rose cheesecake recipe with me to the grave. Why? One of my server's fell in love with it and sold the whole thing in just a few hours!

I made a flourless white chocolate cake & decorated it with candied flowers to test it out for my soul mother's birthday and it was delicious as well as pretty.

I made strawberry sauce to accompany the light and lovely Lavender cheesecake.

Simple syrup is also easy to flavor: take 1 cup water + 1 cup sugar and boil clear. Turn off & while hot, drop in your flavoring. I love Lemon Verbena, Rose, Coffee Beans etc and let steep to the desired flavor. Strain before using.

During a conversation on Twitter today, @aldente mentioned to @PurpleFoodie, Rosemary Ganache.

Rosemary White & Chocolate are as natural a combo, to me, as Dark Chocolate and Lemon.

If making white chocolate ganache, simply add a sprig of fresh, clean rosemary to your cream as it heats. Do not boil. Strain out before mixing cream into chocolate.

I am seeing more herbs & chocolate everyday, so don't be afraid to experiment and come up with new combos. I can't wait to hear what they are!