Fall Harvest Bread / Wheat Sheaf Bread

Bread made to look like a sheaf of wheat is a classic way to celebrate fall. I wanted to try my hand at making this traditional fall harvest bread. I added a mouse under the tie when I found that it is customary to add a mouse to the sheaf. I think is reason behind it is rather interesting. The mouse seeks shelter in the fields, when harvested the shelter is destroyed so the mouse is brought home with the sheaf.

I love fall. I love the beautiful colors, the cooler temperatures and the holiday season starting with Ganesh Chaturthi, Dasara, Diwali and finally Thanksgiving. Today I am posting my version of the fall harvest bread. I looked at pictures online and created this piece entirely on my own. Even the dough is mixed using bakers percentages and my gut feeling of the hydration level I would need.

To shape this bread I knew I would need a stiff dough. I started with 200 gm of whole wheat flour. I decided to keep hydrated at 70%. A added a tablespoon of butter and appropriate proportions of salt and yeast. I also added some sugar and substituted half the water with milk. I layered cinnamon sugar between the wheat stalk and the base of the bread so I could enjoy it with a cup of tea.

You will need
200 gm whole white wheat flour
6 gm salt
5 gm yeast
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
3 tbsp sugar
80 gm cold milk
40 gm cold water
1 tbsp. butter at room temperature

Topping
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. sugar

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients.

Mix together to form a stiff dough. Knead well for 5 minutes. Cover and keep aside for an hour until soft. Break away about 30% of the dough. Keep the rest covered. Roll out the cut portion into a the shape of a skinny mushroom. This is the base on which the bread is built.

Mix together the cinnamon powder and sugar for the topping and sprinkle over the the base. If you want you could mix the mixture with some melted butter and then spread it all over the base.

Now start cutting small portions of dough and rolling them thin to form the stalks. Vary the length slightly and width. Place then randomly over the base. Next cut additional pieces and roll them into cylinders. Using a kitchen shear snip away at the cylinder to form the tops of the stalk. Place these around the top of the mushroom head. Then add a few more lower near the stalks. Keep some pointed up, some bend over to create variety. Roll a couple of thin ropes and place then around the seed heads. Cut three pieces and create a braid. Place it as seen in the picture. Create mouse with two tiny pieces of dough. Attach a tail and place the mouse on the sheaf.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Cover and allow to rise for 20 minutes. Wash with milk and bake for 10 minutes. Lower heat to 375 F and bake another 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Enjoy the harvest bread. You could use it as a centerpiece on your Thanksgiving table or you could eat it with your cup of tea.

Honey Roasted Peanuts

Yesterday my daughter asked me to buy her some honey roasted peanuts. I thought I could do better, I could make her some. This was my first attempt at making candied nuts. My goal was to get them to taste sweet with a hint of spice. I think I managed that and more. The nuts are crunchy and sweet. The spice is evenly distributed.

Next time I will skip the nutmeg and add cardamom instead.

You will need
1 cup peanuts
1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
3 tbsp. maple syrup
3 tbsp. sugar
a pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 F. In a bowl mix all the ingredients except the sugar.

Transfer to a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Roast for 15 minutes or until the nuts are brown.

Cool and mix together. They will have a honey glaze.

You could stop at this step but I did not want them to be sticky. So I sprinkled sugar over the top. That gave the nuts a matt finish and dried them up some.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte

It is fall and pumpkins are everywhere! Even in your chai latte! Pumpkin spice flavors are very popular in coffee and tea. If you are one of those people who love pumpkin spice latte then you should try this at home. I am not really a tea or coffee person but I like the occasional cup. And in fall I like to indulge in a pumpkin spice flavored tea.

I used a BPA free can of pumpkin puree but you could make your own if you like. Cinnamon and nutmeg are must haves for this recipe. They flavor the otherwise bland pumpkin brown sugar combination.

I am not going to call this the pumpkin spice chai tea latte because it would be saying pumpkin spice tea tea latte. Chai is Hindi for tea.

You will need
For the pumpkin spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. dried ginger powder
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cardamom powder
a pinch of salt

For the latte
3 tbsp. water
1 tsp. tea leaves or one bag of chai
2 tsp. pumpkin spice mixture
1/2 cup milk

For the topping
whipped cream (optional)
cinnamon or nutmeg powder

Combine all the ingredients for the pumpkin spice. You can keep this mixture refrigerated for up to two weeks.

To make the latte, boil the water and take it off heat. If using tea leaves, add the leaves to the water. Allow it to sit for a minute, longer if you like strong tea. Run the water through a strainer and discard the leaves. If using a tea bag drop the bag in the water and allow to seep to the desired strength.

Meanwhile combine the milk and the pumpkin spice mixture. Bring it to a boil. Turn off heat and add it to the tea water. If you like top with whipped cream. Sprinkle cinnamon or nutmeg on the top.

Enjoy your hot cup of pumpkin spice chai latte!

Älplermagronen (Swiss Macaroni and Cheese)

Everyone knows macaroni and cheese. Potatoes are added to the casserole in this Swiss version and it is served with apple sauce and cooked apple slices. Hence the name Älplermagronen.

The idea of eating noodles with apples was totally new to us. The flavors do go well together. As for the casserole itself the potato and macaroni was one of the most flavorful macaroni and cheese I have ever made.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need for 5 servings
1 large yukon potato
~ 3 handful of penne pasta
1 cup Gruyere cheese
100 ml milk
100 ml cream
salt and pepper to taste

For the onion topping
1/2 onion
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. olive oil

For the applesauce
1 cooking apple
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup water

For the apple slices
1 apple (I used Gala)
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. sugar
a pinch cinnamon powder
2 tbsp apple cider or apple juice

To make the applesauce wash, peel and core the apple. Cut it into pieces and cook in a pan with the sugar and water until mushy. Mash to prepare the applesauce.

To make the apple slices Wash and core the apple. Slice with the peel into thin slices. Cook with the sugar and butter until tender. Sprinkle cinnamon powder and add the cider or juice. Mix and cook another couple minutes. Turn off heat and keep aside.

To make the onion topping slice the onions and caramelize with the butter and olive oil in a pan on medium heat. When tender and brown turn off heat and keep aside.

Shred the cheese and preheat oven to 400 F. To prepare the potato put it in a pan of salted water and bring the water to a boil. Let it simmer until the potato is almost cooked but not completely tender. Drain the water. Peel the potato and dice into cubes. Bring another pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and diced potatoes. Cook until pasta is done. Drain the water.

Add half the potatoes and pasta to a casserole dish. Sprinkle half the cheese over it and then add the remaining potatoes and pasta. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Finally top with the onion topping.

Put it in the oven until the cheese melts. Meanwhile heat the milk and cream, do not boil. Remove the casserole from the oven and pour the heated milk mixture over the top. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the pasta is heated through. Warm the apple slices.

Enjoy the macaroni and cheese with apple slices and applesauce.

This is one of those dishes that has to be eaten hot out of the oven.


This is my entry for week 48 to the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme Unexpected combinations.

Lebanese Paneer Potato Stew

"This is the best stew you have ever made" was the comment I got from my daughter when I made this dish. Lebanese stews are not vegetarian but as with a lot of non-vegetarian dishes with gravies it is fairly easy to replace the non-vegetarian ingredients with vegetarian ones and get a flavorful dish. I did just that with this stew. I used paneer and made it vegetarian. I also adjusted the cooking times for the paneer that cooks a lot faster than any non-vegetarian ingredient.

The spice blend makes this dish. I made a scant tablespoon of the spice mixture called Lebanese 7-spice. A little goes a long way. I had some of the spices in powder form and the other whole. I put them all together and pounded them to a powder with my mortal/pestle. I got the ingredients for this spice blend here. The aroma of these spices together was amazing. I used equal quantities of black pepper, coriander seeds, allspice, dried ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Try it, you will have your family gliding into the kitchen following the aroma. 

You will need
1 tbsp. oil
7 oz. paneer, cut into cubes
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
a handful cilantro, diced
1 1/2 tsp. Lebanese 7-spice (recipe in text above)
1 tsp. paprika or cayenne powder (optional)
1 large potato, boiled and cubed
1/2 to 1 cup warm water
2 tsp. tomato paste
salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and brown paneer cubes in it. Flip the cubes over when brown until well done. The oil will get sticky with residue that will be collected later. Add the onion and the cilantro.

Saute until the onion is translucent. Add the spice and paprika if you are using it. Mix well until the aroma of the spices fills the kitchen, about a minute.

Add the potatoes and the warm water. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat and allow it to simmer and thicken.

Add the tomato paste and salt to taste. Let it cook until you are happy with the gravy consistency.

Turn off the heat.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week 39 of the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme stew.

Æbleskiver

Æbleskiver is the classic Danish dessert made in an Æbleskiver pan. The recipe is simple and with practice you can learn to make the perfectly round Æbleskiver.

Sprinkled with sugar these pancake like dessert balls make a delightful dessert. As the name suggests these dessert balls were stuffed with pieces of apple. Today the name remains but they are not always filled with apple. I used pieces of gala apple softened in a little butter.

You can serve aebleskiver for breakfast too but I made it for dessert as it is made in Denmark during the holiday season.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need

egg white from 1 egg

1 cup flour

2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder

1 tsp. baking powder

a pinch baking soda

2 tbsp. butter, melted

1 cup buttermilk

salt to taste

1/2 gala apple, peeled, cored, cut into cubes.

Butter for the pan

Heat a little butter in a saucepan and add the apple cubes. Cook until softened. Turn off heat and let the cubes cool.

In a mixing bowl sift the flour. Combine it with sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, melted butter and buttermilk. Add salt to taste. In a separate bowl beat the egg white until white peaks form. Fold it into the batter.

Heat an Æbleskiver pan on medium heat. Add a little butter to each of the holes in the pan and drop a spoonful of batter in. When the batter starts to bubble add a couple pieces of softened apple.

Using a skewer or a knitting needle turn them over in half turns until they are cooked all round to a beautiful golden crust. 

Keep turning them around to prevent burning until cooked through. The skewer pricked in the center should come out clean. Sprinkle sugar just before serving.

Your dessert is ready.

This is my entry for week 36 of the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme apples.

Gruyere Cheese Sauce

Gruyere white sauce is usually served over dumplings. But you can use it in any recipe that calls for a cheese sauce. This sauce is really an application of the béchamel sauce with Gruyere cheese. The cheese thickens the sauce. This is a nice to know basic recipe that can be pulled out of the hat when needed.

Use a cooking cheese like gruyere or substitute Asiago or Romano.

You will need
4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 cup cold milk
1/4 cup gruyere
salt and black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Watch the pan, I looked away and burned one batch of butter. Add the flour and whisk continuously until the flour is blended in and the mixture cooks and turns a light brown color.

Add cold milk. If you cook with wine use 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup dry white wine. Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes. Add shredded cheese and season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and whisk until smooth. Tastes best when hot.

Note: If you like it a runnier texture increase the amount of milk or decrease the amount of flour.

Eis und Heiss (Ice cream With Strawberry And Raspberry Sauce)

Eis und Heiss literally translates to 'cold and hot'. This hot and cold dessert is super simple to make and very delicious. When I found the recipe here I simply had to make it. It was perfect for a hot summer day. Ice cream with fresh berry sauce poured over the top - hot and cold

I found some really fresh raspberries and strawberries in Whole Foods. There is no real recipe here. Heat the fruit in a pan until the juices begin to flow.

Let the fruit cook in their own juice on low heat for about 5-10 minutes. If the fruit is very juicy and the sauce looks runny add a little cornflour to the juice to thicken it. Turn off heat. Let it cool a little. While it is warm pour over ice cream and enjoy!

This is my entry for week 36 of the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme hot and cold.

Shira / Sheera / Suji Halwa

The other day after a heavy lunch nobody was in the mood for a full meal for dinner. I offered to make upama when my daughter asked if I could make sheera instead. That was when I realized that I did not have the simple sheera recipe on this space. I have banana sheera and mango sheera but not the plain version. So I decided to set that straight and post this recipe right away.

If you choose to heat the milk and water in a microwavable cup use a mitten when pouring it over the rava. I learnt this the hard way when the steam burnt the fingers of my hand.

You will need
2 tbsp. ghee
1 cup semolina or rava
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. sugar

To garnish
Cashews
Raisins
1 pod cardamom
1 tsp. ghee

Heat the ghee in a pan and add the rava. Roast the rava stirring occasionally on low to medium heat taking care it does not burn. Do not let it turn brown.

Combine the water and milk in a microwavable cup and bring to a boil, anywhere from 1 and half to 3 minutes depending upon your microwave. Alternately heat the milk and water in a separate pan on the stove top.

Pour the hot liquid over the roasted rava. Stir to combine and cover. After a minute remove the lid and mix the rava with the now absorbed liquid. Cover and repeat another two times.

In a separate small pan heat the ghee for garnishing and add the cashews. When browned slightly add the raisins. When they puff up turn off heat. Add the cashews and raisins to the sheera. Shell the cardamom and pound the seeds. Add the powder to the sheera. Mix one last time and turn off heat.

Sheera taste great when it is warm.

This is my entry for week three, day three of BM #43 for the theme Healthy Desserts. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#43.

This is also my entry for week 33 for the 2014 52 week challenge for the them Opposite side of the world.

Cantaloupe Lime Smoothie

Cantaloupe and lime with a little bit of peach! The result is a refreshing and filling smoothie great for breakfast or to cool down on a hot summer afternoon.

I like to make this whenever I have a really sweet cantaloupe.

You will need
1 1/2 cups cantaloupe
1/2 peach
1 lime
handful ice cubes

Squeeze the juice from one lime in a blender jar. Add the cantaloupe, peach and ice cubes. Blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Note:
Use the juice of a whole lemon especially if the cantaloupe is sweet.
The peach is needed to complete the flavor profile. Do not skip the peach.

Narali Bhaat / Coconut Rice for Narali Pornima

Narali purnima or the full moon during the month of Shraavan. The day when coastal Maharashtra breaks a coconut at the beach to pray for a good post monsoon fishing season. The menu for the day includes the dessert Narali bhaat or coconut rice. Fresh coconut is combined with the local staple - rice, to make this delicious dish.

The menu includes, from the top clockwise, a bowl of tomato dal, potato bhaji, bharli wangi, poli, cucumber koshimbir and in the center narali bhaat.

The recipes for tomato dal and cucumber koshimbir will be updated in the next week.

For narali bhaat you will need
1 cup brown rice
1 cup shredded fresh or frozen coconut
1 scant cup jaggery or sugar
1 clove
1 tbsp. ghee or clarified butter

For garnish
1 tbsp. ghee
a few each of cashews, almonds sliver, raisins etc.
1 pod cardamom

Thaw the coconut if using frozen. Grate the jaggery. Soak the rice for half an hour. Drain and rinse.

Melt ghee in a pan and add the clove. When fragrant in about 1-2 minutes, add the rice with 2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook. When the rice is almost cooked, about 20-35 minutes, add the coconut and jaggery. Mix carefully without breaking the rice grain. Let it cook another 5 minutes. During this time the jaggery will melt and coat the rice as it thickens.

Shell the cardamom and pound the seeds to a powder. Heat ghee in a separate pan and roast the cashews, almond slivers and raisins.

When the rice is done turn off heat. Sprinkle the cardamom and garnish ingredients.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week 32 of the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme favorites.

Onion Rings

Onion rings are the classic side to burgers. They are crispy and usually deep fried. I made 'fried' these in the oven. They are crispy and crunchy without the oil bath.

These are approximate quantities as the level of heat and the amount of coating on the onions is a matter of personal taste

You will need
1/2 Yellow onion sliced in rings
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I made mine with day old homemade bread)
paprika to taste
salt to taste
olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Start with the ingredients to dredge and bread the onion rings. Prepare three plates. In a bowl mix the flour with paprika and salt. Spread half the flour on the first plate and keep aside. To the remaining flour add the buttermilk and whisk until no lumps remain. Add the mixture to the second plate. You may choose to add an egg to the buttermilk if you like. In a separate bowl combine breadcrumbs with a little olive oil and salt. Mix well to get a crumby mixture and transfer to the third plate. You prep work is ready.

Pick up each onion ring and dredge through the flour. Coat with the buttermilk mixture and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for all the rings.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until brown. Flip over once half way through the baking process.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week 31 of the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme breading/dredging.

Whole Wheat Sourdough Pizza

I have made sourdough pizza before but this recipe uses whole wheat flour as opposed to all purpose flour. The pizza is heartier and tastes great.

Pizza dough is flat bread that is very versatile. I used a mix of mostly white whole wheat and all purpose flour for the dough. I fed my starter in the morning. At around 4 pm I mixed the dough. At night before going to bed I divided the dough and rolled it into smooth balls. I covered them and put them in the refrigerator.

The proportions I used
700 gm white whole wheat flour
200 gm all purpose flour
700 gm water
200 gm fresh fed starter
20 gm salt

The next day around noon, after 12 plus hours of refrigeration, I was ready to bake the pizza. Sometimes if I can, I keep the dough refrigerated longer; until dinner or maybe even lunch the day after. The pizza tastes better.

Today I made pizza topped with my favorite pizza sauce and shredded cotijo cheese. That was the only cheese I had on hand.

Preheat the oven to 475 F. If using a pizza stone and peel, place the stone on the top rack in the oven as it heats. If using a pizza baking sheet, place the sheet on the top rack. A hot oven and a hot cooking surface allow the pizza dough to cook quickly and puff up to create an open crumb. All you need is 7 minutes in the oven.

Meanwhile, on a lightly floured working surface place one of the portions of refrigerated dough. Using your knuckles punch down the center leaving a small 1/4 inch border.

Flour you hands. Pick up the flattened dough with your fingers and using the border as a guide run it through your fingers. Holding the dough up vertically will allow it to expand. You could throw it in the air to expand it too.

Remove the heated baking sheet from the oven. Working quickly place the prepared pizza dough on the sheet.

Cover with sauce and sprinkle the cheese. Return the sheet to the top rack of the oven for 5 minutes. If using a pizza stone, assemble the pizza on a pizza peel and slide it on to the hot stone.

After 5 minutes switch to broil and broil the pizza for 2 minutes. Serve hot. Be prepared to listen to how tasty the pizza is knowing the compliments are for the pizza base and not the toppings.