The waffles were SOOOO good.. just like I remembered in Belgium. The first thing Emily said after taking a bite was “Mommy, do we have the recipe for this?”

We also had to experience their Belgian fries (aka Frites). They are fried in canola and sunflower oil, and you get your choice of at least half a dozen different mayos. I let the kids decided, and they came out of the shop with ‘curry mayo’, which was surprisingly good.

So naturally, this morning when I woke up bright and early with the twins, I thought I’d do a little waffle experiment. The logistical problem with my experiment is that I had two 6 months old babies sitting on the counter, helping me cook in their bumbo chairs… so I had to act fast. Besides, the other kids would be waking up soon, and I didn’t have time to let waffles rise. So I searched for a short cut version that would still accomplish the right effect. Another disclaimer is that traditionally belgian street waffles have a TON of butter in them, and I didn’t want to feed the family a pound of butter for breakfast, so Dallin did some quick math for me and converted the 3/4 lb of sweet butter into a cup and a half of oil.

Quick Nearly-real Belgian Waffles

4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. canola oil (or 3/4 lb. sweet butter, softened)
4 eggs
2 tbsp. milk (or more until you get the right consistency)
Some vanilla
Salt to taste (if you used oil instead of butter)

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Make a well in the center and put the softened butter, eggs and rum in well. Gradually mix the flour into other ingredients. Let the mixture, which will be a paste, stand at room temperature, uncovered, for 2 hours. Divide into small balls the size of 2 tablespoons, and cook them in a waffle iron. Makes: plenty.

The batter will look something like this (a tooth-paste consistency):

The finished product turned out pretty good, considering they only took a few minutes to make. Definitely better than your average waffle recipe. They have that dense yeasty consistency, but no where near the quality of the street vendors in Bruges, or the Bruges vendors in SLC.

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For some strange reason, I crave Indian food on sundays. It’s probably because we have more time to cook, and Indian food isn’t the easiest food to make. But today’s 4 course meal took only an hour from start to finish, and it was one of those meals where you just have to force yourself to stop or else you’ll overeat and regret it later.

In the spirit of freestyle, recipe-free cooking, these recipes are just ‘guidelines’ and you should feel free to add or subtract or change it as you go.  Here’s the menu:

1. Sultana & Cashew Basmati Pilau

2. Chicken Tikka Masala

3. Curried lentils & vegetables

4. Saag Paneer (a creamy spinach dish that is a staple of indian cuisine)

(optional: 5. Naans — we didn’t ‘make’ these today, because we had some flat bread laying around, but I did recently post a recipe.  If you make these from scratch, I suspect the meal is going to take you a wee bit more than an hour, unless you really book it..)

Sultana & Cashew Basmati Pilau

I just bought a massive bag of basmati rice from costco that I’ve been dying to try out.  And this was totally experimental, because I made this dish in the rice maker.  Basically, I just followed the rice maker’s guidelines of 2 cups rice and 2.5 cups water:

2 cups basmati rice, rinsed and soaked for a bit, then drained of course

2.5 cups chicken broth

1 cinnamon stick

1 handful of cashews

1 handful of raisins (golden are best, but I just had regular and it was fine)

1 handful of slivered almonds (I chopped up some whole almonds)

a couple spoonfuls of garam masala (from the store or make it yourself.. mine had coriander, tumeric, cumin, fenugreek and chillies)

some more tumeric

a little oil for good measure (I did a couple teaspoons of canola oil.. butter works too)

That’s about it. I just threw it all in the rice maker and hit the white rice button, but you could accomplish this by throwing it all in a pot on the stove and cooking it like any old rice dish (although you may want to get fancy and saute the rice and some spices a little in oil or butter first)

Saag Paneeer

Oil (or ghee.. but I didn’t have any and didn’t want to make it)
1 onion, chopped
5 Cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 can of diced tomatoes
1″ chunk of fresh ginger, peeled, chopped fine (I didn’t have this, so I used some powder)
1 lb fresh or frozen spinach, thawed (I used fresh, because I had a huge costco bag threatening to go bad)
1 c plain yogurt (or sour cream if you don’t have yogurt laying around)
2 t crushed red chili (or red pepper flakes)
1 t cumin seed

1 t mustard seed

2 ts Garam Masala (or curry powder if you don’t have garam masala)

1.5 c half and half (or use 1 cup heavy cream and 1/2 c water, mixed)
8 oz ricotta cheese, or 4% cottage cheese, or Paneer (you can make it yourself with milk, lemon juice, and a cheese cloth. Really.  Google it if you don’t believe me)
Salt & pepper to taste

Boil the spinach in 1 cup of water in a large skillet covered with a lid for ~ 4 minutes. Drain well in colander. Return the skillet to heat and add some oil or ghee. Add the onions & ginger, stir fry for a few minutes, add the garlic, tomato & cumin seed. Cook a few minutes then add the yogurt or sour cream, chili, and garam masala/curry powder and the drained spinach. Simmer at medium heat for 5 minutes. Mash the ingredients with a potato masher or use a hand blender to puree. Add the half and half. Add the cheese, simmer 5 minutes.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ok, now here comes the secret to the (relatively) quick meal:

Patak’s Tikka Masala Curry Paste from the grocery store.  It is soo good. I basically just threw in a few chicken breasts into a pot with a bunch of this stuff on top, and cooked it.

Curried Lentils & Vegetables

For this one, just use your imagination.  Heat up some oil, saute some onions and indian spices (i.e. garam masala, cumin seed, mustard seed, tumeric, lots of curry…), add the lentils (whatever color you have), some water, and some veggies (i.e. carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, peas, etc..).  Cook until done.. and a bunch of spices to taste..

And here is the finished product.  The iphone camera and paper plate (albeit biodegradable) don’t really do it justice, but trust me, it was delish.

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yummy naan

Naan (Indian-style flatbread)

2.5 cups bread flour

1/4 c whole wheat flour

1 pkg (2.25 t) instant yeast

2 t sugar

1.5 t salt

1 c water (room temp)

1/4 c plain yogurt

4 T oil (or 1/2 stick butter if you insist)

Combine flours, yeast, sugar, salt in a mixer and blend briefly.  Add water, yogurt, oil and mix on low until a shaggy dog I mean dough forms (about 30 sec), and then keep kneading for 5-10 more minutes, adding 1 T of flour at a time as needed to clear the sides of the dough bowl.  Let double in size for about 45 minutes. Turn onto a clean (or dirty) work surface and divide into 8 smaller balls and let sit for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough balls into flat breads and cook on a large skillet over medium heat until done (i.e. small bubbles appear, golden brown, or whatever your standard is for cooked naans… or go to cafe rio and watch how they make their tortillas and it’s the same general concept).

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2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup canola or safflower oil
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, orange juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Beat well until combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 325 degrees F for 40-50 minutes until dark golden brown. While cake is in oven, combine powdered sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice and whisk to blend.
Remove cake from oven, beat powdered sugar mixture again, and carefully spoon 1/2 of the lemon and powdered sugar mixture over cake. Loosen edges of cake and turn out onto serving plate. Slowly drizzle remaining lemon mixture over cake. Let cool. Serves 10-12

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Sauce:

2 T fish sauce

2 T rice vinegar

2 T water

1 T light brown sugar

1 T Thai chili-garlic sauce

Stir Fry:

1 T fish sauce

1 t light brown sugar

3/4 t ground coriander

1/8 t ground white pepper

2 lbs blade steaks, trimmed of fat, sliced in 1/4 thick pieces (stir fry beef works well too)

3 gloves garlic, minced

3 T oil

3 fresh hot peppers, finely sliced (jalepeno, serrano, thai…)

3 medium shallots, chopped (or just use onions, that’s what we did)

1/2 c Thai basil leaves (or just regular basil if you must)

1/2 c cilantro

1/3 c chopped roasted unsalted peanuts

1 lime, wedged, for serving

1. For the sauce, whisk all the stuff together and set aside. 

2. For the stir-fry, mix fish sauce, sugar, coriander, pepper in a small bowl. Add the beef and marinate for at least 10 minutes, preferably an hour.  In a separate bowl, mix the garlic with 1 t of the oil and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking.  Add the beef and cook until well browned, set aside.

4. Add some more oil to skillet and heat up.  Add chiles and shallots, cook until soft (3 min). Clear the center of the skillet and add the garlic mixture and cook until fragrant, ~20 seconds.  Add the fish sauce mix to the skillet and cook until reduced (~30 sec). Stir in the beef with any accumulated juices. Toss well.  Stir in half of basil and cilantro, then transfer to a platter and top with the rest of the herbs, peanuts and lime wedges.  

5. Eat it. Say yum.

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The crust

2 2/3 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. oil (Puritan, Canola, etc.)
6 tbsp. skim milk

Combine flour and salt in bowl. Blend oil and milk in
bowl. Add to flour mixture. Stir with fork until forms large
clumps. Press into ball. Flatten to form 5-6 inch “pancake”.
Roll between sheets of wax paper. Peel off top sheet. Flip into
9 inch pie pan. Remove other sheet. Press dough into 9×13 pan and cook for 10-15 min.

For the lemon topping

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the lemon layer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes (less if you are using the thinner topping), or about five minutes beyond the point where the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

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Jeremy sent out a mass email with the recipe after he found it (and drooled over it) on tastespotting, and Lisa was the first one to make it. The kids ended up eating PB&J sandwiches instead, and after trying a few, we gave the rest to Casey:

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Clockwise, starting at about 2 o’clock: Homemade multigrain bread in the bread machine, Karenin’s strawberry salad, and then over there at 9 o’clock is the famous fennel bulgur salad.  The meal was a hit, so I’ll post recipes:

Fennel plum salad sprinkled with goat cheese

1 c uncooked bulgur
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1 bunch watercress, chopped
1.5 c shredded purple cabbage
1 c shredded carrot
1 c thinly sliced fennel (or celery)
2 plums, thinly sliced (or pears)
1 c green grapes, halved
6 dried figs, chopped
3 oz crumbled goat cheese
1/3 c maple syrup
3.5 T apple cider vinegar
2 T dijon
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil (optional)

1. Cook the bulgur like couscous: Put bulgur in a bowl, pour 1 c boiling water over it, cover with a plate, let sit for 30 min..
2. Cook walnuts in a skillet over med-low for 3 minutes to lightly brown them
3. Chop watercress and add to bulgur
4. Make the dressing: whisk syrup, vinegar, mustard. We added a little olive oil.
5. Add the rest, pour on dressing, enjoy

3 cups of this superfood has 425 calories, 12 g fat, 71 g carbs, 12 g protein, 11 g fiber.

Lemon-glazed cornmeal cake with crushed blueberries

This cake was in the April 2009 issue of Bon Appetit magazine, but as usual, I’ve modified it slightly:

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups (packed) powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon Juice

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• crush blueberries to go on top

For glaze:
Combine powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in small bowl. Stir with spoon until smooth and paste-like, adding more lemon juice by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to spread. Set aside.

For cake:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides; line bottom with parchment. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, lemon peel, and vanilla in small bowl. Pour buttermilk mixture and oil  into flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, gently fold liquids into flour mixture until just blended (do not stir). Scrape batter into pan; spread evenly.

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes.

Immediately run knife around sides of cake. Place rack atop cake in pan. Using oven mitts, hold pan and rack firmly together and invert cake onto rack. Remove pan from cake. Place another rack on bottom of cake; invert 1 more time so that cake is top side up. Stir glaze until blended. While cake is still very hot, drop glaze by tablespoonfuls onto cake; spread to within 1/2 inch of edge (some glaze may drip down sides of cake). Cool completely. Serve with Crushed-Blueberry Sauce.

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1 ½ C chopped walnuts
1 C all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
4 eggs
1 ½ sugar
grated zest and juice of 1 orange (about ½ C juice)
½ olive oil
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat to 350 degrees.  Spray 9 inch spring form pan with oil

Place the walnuts in a food processor and process until finely ground, almost to the consistency of bread crumbs.  In a bowl, combine the ground walnuts, flour, and baking powder.

Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until frothy.  Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light, thick, and lemon colored.  Slowly add the walnut-flour mixture, beating continuously.  Then, with the mixer on low speed, add the orange zest and juice and the loive oil and mix until just combined.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 min.  Se the pan on a rack to cool.

Remove the pan sides and transfer the cake to a transportable serving platter.   Dust the top with powdered sugar, creating a decorative pattern if desired.  Serve at room temp, cut into wedges.

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