nana: November 2011

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Thai Style Salmon Fritters

A perfect party starter, these salmon fritters are coated with batter and deep fried until crisp and golden brown. They are best eaten fresh out of the oil while they're still hot and crisp.

I have substituted a few ingredients as I don't happen to have them on hand. Please do visit I Just Love My Apron for the authentic and original recipe.

2 Eggs
150 ml Whole milk
1/2 tbsp Fish sauce
1/2 Lime, juiced
150 g All purpose flour
2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp White pepper

1 tbsp Red curry powder
1/2 tbsp Lime zest
1 cup Frozen green peas, thawed and drained
1 tin /225 g Alaska redhead wild sockeye, drained and flaked
250 g Fresh salmon, sliced
Oil for frying
Some fresh celery leaves
Salt and Cayenne pepper for dusting

Beat eggs, milk, fish sauce and lime juice in a mixing bowl until everything is incorporated. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, white pepper, red curry powder and lime zest.
Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Stir until just incorporated. Add in drained green peas, tinned and fresh salmons to the batter. Stir until well combined.
Add oil to a saucepan and heat it up to 190C/375F. Line a baking tray with paper. Preheat your oven to 100C/210F.
Drop by tablespoon into hot deep oil. Don't overcrowd. Once they are nicely brown, remove from the pan and keep warm in the oven and repeat the process until you have finished the batter.
Sprinkle the fried fritters with salt and cayenne pepper. Use same oil to fry fresh celery leaves until crispy. Place the fritters on a platter and top with celery leaves. Serve salmon fritters hot accompanied with preferred yogurt dressing.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Cinnamon Spelt Ring aka Estonian Bread Kringel

This cinnamon bread, also knows as “Bread Kringel”, has been baked for hundreds of years in Estonia, for holidays, birthdays celebrations and special occasions. It originated in Germany and is basically a sweet enriched bread that’s twisted into the shape of a pretzel or a simple ring.

Recipe inspired by Chocolateoblivion

Dough	Filling
125 ml Milk, lukewarm 1 Egg yolk, small 30 g Walnut oil 1 tbsp Maple syrup 100 g Wholegrain spelt flour 200 g Spelt flour 7 g Instant dried yeast	50 g Butter, melted and cooled 3 tbsp Sugar 2 tsp Cinnamon powder 2 tbsp Slivered almond, optional Powdered sugar, optional

Place milk, egg yolk, walnut oil and maple syrup in the pan of your bread machine. Add in flours and the dried yeast. Select the “Dough” cycle, and press “Start”.
Mix together the cooled butter, sugar and cinnamon powder in a bowl. When the “Dough” cycle is finished, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it briefly.
Divide the dough in half. Using a rolling pin, roll each out into a 1cm thick rectangle. Spread the 1/3 cinnamon butter mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1cm border. Roll dough up, starting lengthwise to form a Swiss roll. Seal edges well by pinching close and slice it in half lengthwise, leaving 5cm intact.
Turn each half cut-side up and carefully plait the halves together, keep the cut-side up to expose the filling. Join both ends to form a round wreath and transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Brush the bread top with the remaining cinnamon mixture. Scatter the silvered almonds over if used. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Poppy Thumbprints with Lemon Curd

Those buttery cookies, which are rolled in poppy seeds and filled with homemade lemon curd or with your favourite jam., are perfect for the holidays. You can replace poppy seeds with finely chopped nuts or coconut shreds. Thoroughly delicious and a welcome addition to any cookie tray.

Lemon Curd	Cookie
2 Eggs 130 g Caster sugar 65 g Butter Juice and zest of 2 lemons	280 g All purpose flour 1 tsp Freshly grated lemon zest 1/5 tsp Salt 200 g Unsalted butter, at room temperature 60 g Granulated white sugar 1 Large egg yolk 1 tsp Lemon extract 50 g Poppy seeds

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat. Add the butter, lemon juice and zest and whisk continuously until thickened. Strain through a sieve into a sterilised jar. Lemon curd keeps, covered, in the fridge for 2 weeks.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and lemon zest. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy with a hand mixer. Add egg yolk and lemon extract. Beat until combined. Sift the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture and mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and lightly roll it in poppy seeds. Place on the prepared baking tray and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/2 teaspoon of lemon curd into each indentation. Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Reginette with Radicchio and Hazelnut Cream Sauce

A really simple pasta dish with crunchy bitter radicchio, that’s balanced by the rich, earthy taste of roasted hazelnuts and luscious, fresh cream. Some chopped roasted nuts would be a nice addition sprinkled on top. Serve with some garlic bread for a complete meal.

Reginette with Radicchio and Hazelnut Cream Sauce

Inspire by Robyn Cooks and All Recipes

100 g Reginette
1 Radicchio, rinsed and sliced
40 g Ground hazelnuts, toasted
30 g Butter
120 ml Low-fat cream
1 tsp Brandy
Salt and freshly mulled black pepper

Cook the reginette in in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente, about 9 minutes.
In the meantime, toast the ground hazelnut in a small skillet over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Lower heat, then add the butter, stir until melted, then add the cream and brandy. Stir to combine, and cook until thickened, 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, pile some radicchio into the bottom of a rimmed soup bowl, then top with reginette. Spoon the sauce over the top. Serve immediately.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Rye Rolls with Poppy

Those dinner rolls, made from egg white enriched rye dough, have a really shiny and beautiful crust, partly because of overnight proofing in the fridge, partly due to the egg white wash applied prior to baking at high temperature with steam.

Starter	Starter	Others
120 g Bread flour 45 g Dark rye flour 165 g Water 2 g Fresh yeast	80 g Wholegrain rye flour 80 g Dark rye flour 165 g Bread flour 130 g Water 30 g Egg white 1 tsp Malt extract 6 g Fresh yeast 8 g Salt	2 tbsp Poppy seeds 1/2 Egg white 2 tbsp Water

Dissolve the fresh yeast in the water. Stir in bread and rye flours until well combined. Cover and leave it at room temperature for 2 hours, then transfer to the fridge for 12 hours.
Place all the dough ingredients together with starter in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer. Stir at low speed until all ingredients have been incorporated, then increase the speed and mix until the dough gathers into a ball. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, if too stiff.
Cover with a plastic and set aside until it doubles in size, 1-2 hours. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly press down the dough and shape into a round. Divide the dough into 10-15 pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a round or an oval. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and proof until double in bulk. This will take about 90 minutes.
Preheat oven to 230C/450F and place an old baking pan on the bottom rack. Combine egg white and water in a bowl. Brush the top of bread rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with the poppy seeds. Slash a 1/4-inch/5-mm deep cut across the top of each roll. Place rolls in the oven on the next shelf up, pour 1 cup of water into the old baking pan and close the door quickly. Bake for about 20 minutes until richly brown.