Bake Elaborate This Holiday Season

 The Christmas and Hannukkah parties are cancelled. Kwanzaa and tree trimming parties are a thing of a past. What to do? Bake like a contestant from The Great British Baking Show. You have the time to create something wildly elaborate. Go for it. The result is not only a following on Pinterest and Instagram but also a yummy treat afterwards.

One of the most complex yet fun creations to make is the gingerbread house.If you're a beginner , you can always buy the kits which has everything from the actual gingerbread pieces to the icing and decorative candies. There are a lot of styles to choose from. However you can easily build your own. You do need to download or draw templates. It usually is the four walls and two squares for the roof.  If you're especially creative you can also add a chimney and movable front door.  As for the actual building materials, you can use a packaged cookie mix or make your own, the last having a richer and more robust taste. Keep in mind that your dough should have a smaller amount of baking soda for less puff  and less butter so that the pieces keep their shape. Also decrease the molasses for a less sticky dough and  add more water for a smoother one. As for the icing , use royal. This is a mix of egg whites and confectioners sugar however a safer version is using chickpea brine or aquafaba instead. Keep in mind that royal icing is also perfect for icing cookies too. Decorate with Starlight peppermints and gumdrops for a more traditional look or add fun candies like KitKat  Bars and M&M's for a hipper vibe.  Ambitious bakers may try baking a whole village plus people, pets and cars.

Another labor intensive treat is sufganiyot, the Israeli jelly doughnut eaten at Hanukkah. The dough is a mix of the usual doughnut dough, spiked with cinnamon and enriched with butter or pareve  or kosher margarine. Apricot, raspberry or strawberry preserves are placed in the middle and then the dough balls are fried in vegetable oil for two minutes. They can then be dredged in granulated sugar or confectioner's. If you want to fancy them up a bit , think about filling them with dulce de leche or thick caramel sauce. For  really lush doughnuts, fill them with  a rich dark cocoa filling that's more like a pudding. Kwanzaa also comes with a variety of delicious desserts like banana cake. This is fine on its own but think about serving it with a homemade side of homemade Bananas Foster ice cream  for extra indulgence. One of the best holiday desserts for any holiday is the Spanisches Windtorte, This was featured on  The Great British Baking Show  and it is a decadent Austrian meringue cake with a decadent filling of whipped cream laced with brandy and cognac along with confectioner's sugar for body. Each layer is then topped of with fruit. You can use strawberries but for more bite use blackberries or raspberries. It's then finished off with more whipped cream and fruit followed by a dusting of shaved dark chocolate.

Bake big.  Bake  elaborate this holiday. Create something amazing and complicated  - not just for your family but for yourself. It;s the best give you can give.

Leftover Fun

Most Americans are probably staring at all the leftovers in their fridges right now. What to do with all that turkey, stuffing and sides? Create some tasty sides and fun new dishes with the old ones.

Most have what's left of a small to midsize turkey right now. Of course you've been through all the sandwiches right now , from hot with gravy and bread to cold with tomatoes and mayo. You could take a tip from The New York Times Food section and make turkey tamales. A variety of chiles are used to make the meat more flavorful (although turkey doesn't need this) along with tomatillos and cilantro. The tamales have the classic corn and husk coverings, softened with either chicken or turkey broth. You could also make tacos with the meat using cold shredded turkey and the usual taco fillings such as sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce. Add a dab of mayo to moisten the meat too, eliminating some of its' dryness. A hot soup is great for right now and again leftover turkey fills that bill. Think a rich cream of turkey soup, made heartier and creamier with the addition of half and half. Rice or orzo can be added too along with carrots and peas. Turkey pho is a different spin. The meat's earthiness will work well with the five spices, brown sugar and fish sauce.

What about the stuffing and sides? Again the New York Times suggests turning the stuffing into dumplings. It's mixing your leftover stuffing with eggs, flour and baking powder and then dropping them into a turkey soup, complete with repurposed sweet potatoes. Yet , what about just cooking the dumplings in turkey stock and have them swim in left over gravy as a delicious side. They can also be turned into cups, filled with turkey, peas and sliced carrots along with gravy for an instant version of turkey pot pie.  You could also flatten the stuffing , frying it into two circles and make a stuffing panini with it. Fill with turkey and gravy. As for those leftover sweet potatoes,, turn them into puffs. It's mashing them with eggs , flour and salt and then frying or air frying them. These make for a tasty lunch or fun dinner. Sweet potato mash can also be used for waffles too.They'd be a great side with fried chicken or even turkey. Greens such broccoli and green beans can be repurposed into tasty salads , dressed with a simple vinaigrette.

Thanksgiving leftovers provide such a wide variety of tasty new dishes. Get creative with that bird and sweet potatoes. Make something exciting with that stuffing and broccoli. It's a whole new table of delicious dishes.

And Now Apple Cider Doughnuts

 After all the cooking it's time to look to baking - leisurely baking. Think the fall classic apple cider doughnut. They're a perfect snack and a fresh break from all that pie.

Erin Jeanne McDowell, author of Let's Bake A Pie!  and creator of the  baking blog Erin Jeanne McDowell wrote about these gems plus gave the recipe in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. what is great about her recipe is that the doughnuts are baked and not fried. They're more like little cakes, without the usual greasy doughnut aftertaste.Cinnamon lovers will love this recipe as well. Two teaspoons of cinnamon along with a half a teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg (you can find whole nuts in your grocery's spice section) is added to the batter. You can also add other fall spices like ginger, clove and cardamon for a more flavorful bite.Cider is used but Ms. McDowell recommends boiling it first to reduce it to a maple syrup like consistency. Doing this gives the doughnuts a more concentrated apple flavor. Just use one and a half cup of cider and reduce it down to one half cup. Remember to cool it down before using. Of course doughnuts need a coating of some kind of sugar. Ms. McDowell lets the freshly baked rings settle for a minute or two in the pan before releasing them. They're  brushed with melted butter and then dredged in a mix of cinnamon and sugar. You could use powdered sugar as they do at farms. That's your decision.

You can use a six doughnut baking pan but you can also use a twelve cup muffin tin that can be converted into a doughnut pan. Take a four by four piece of aluminum foil and bend gently around your middle finger. Remove your finger and press the foil in the muffin cup.Use a non stick cooking spray (and not butter or margarine) to grease the pan and then flour it.It's then sifting all the dry ingredients including the cinnamon and baking powder given for lift.. One stick of butter is also used, mixed with light brown and granulated sugars. Two large eggs are also added along with one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Dry and wet ingredients are mixed together then carefully spooned into the doughnut pan about two thirds full. Ms McDowell also suggests using a disposable piping bag or a reusable plastic bag  with a half inch opening cut from one corner). Bake until evenly golden or until a toothpick inserted in the thickest portion of one comes out clean, twelve to fifteen minutes baking in a 350 degree F oven.Muffin tin doughnuts takes longer , about fifteen to twenty minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through. It's then letting the doughnuts settle and brushing them with melted butter before dredging. Again you can use the cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar. 

Apple cider doughnuts are a nice alternative to all the holiday pies and sweets. Even better they baked for a fluffy flavor. Make them today for a tasty snack with a hot cup of coffee and tea.

Happy Homesgiving

                                             This says it all.

Hope your Thanksgiving was as productive, messy and tasty as mine in this very messy year.

Yet Another Pumpkin Mousse

 Every year there has to be a pumpkin flavored dessert for Thanksgiving. This year is another vegan pumpkin mousse.It's a different spin on the traditional pie,.

I found the recipe on Delish Knowledge, a blog started by dietitian Alexandra Caspero. I scanned over several  vegan dessert recipes in the past week and saw this. It had me at aquafaba, chickpea bean water that can be whipped into a yummy meringue. This looked good. However I didn't realize just how labor intensive it was.

First of all I decided to double the recipe, knowing there may be one extra visitor on Friday. I had to use half a cup of maple syrup, 1 and 1/3 cups Libby's pureed pumpkin , two teaspoons of pumpkin spice and two teaspoons of vanilla extract.

It was the just mashing everything together. Then came the cream, made with solidified coconut cream.

This took about twenty minutes to half an hour to get the same consistency as regular whipping cream. I used my stand mixer which is pretty powerful., After it was the cream was relegated to the fridge. Then it was onto the third leg of the recipe.

It's mixing one cup and a third of the chickpea water along with half a cup of powdered sugar and half a teaspoon of cream of tartar. This produced a very stiff and perfect meringue as always. The pumpkin mix was added. Unfortunately I made the mistake of adding all the coconut cream instead of a small amount. It lost its' pudding like texture and became soupy.

I'm hoping a night in the fridge will set it, especially with the properties of the coconut cream. The flavor's not bad, sort of a marriage of maple, pumpkin and coconut, the last unexpected. Will  I make this again. Yes, but without the coconut cream. I feel it sort of ruined the texture. Hours later , it's still a big soupy disaster.

This vegan pumpkin mousse is a different alternative to pie. It's tasty and hopefully will set into a kind of pudding mousse hybrid. It'll be a nice dessert after a full Thanksgiving meal.

Gearing Up For Thursday

 Thanksgiving is really the Super Bowl of home cooking. It's a lot of prepping and planning along with praying that the dinner will be a success. For many cooking this year may be a first or a return after many years away. The best bet is have a game plan.  Be prepped and be ready.

The first thing home chefs should do is check out their pots and pans and decide which will work well for the turkey and sides. Do you have a large enough one or a just right size for your smaller bird? if not , then run to the grocery store and get a suitably sized one. Another check has to be for all your appliances. Is the stove working properly? What about the air fryer or immersion blender? Make sure everything is in working order. Another must check is if there's enough wax paper, aluminum foil and Saran wrap. These are also vital for cooking and storing leftovers.First time home chefs and those trying new recipes should have the recipes and their steps down pat. This is not a time for forgetting one step or needing to look over the instructions or ingredients as you're mixing or chopping. Study the steps. Memorize the ingredients. Have you bought everything on your list? Has anything been forgotten? Tomorrow may be your last chance to head to the store and get what you need.Also , decide what dishes you're going to go it on your own or who's going to help you. Kids and partners can easily whip potatoes and cut bread along with ladle sides into bowls.  You can work on the turkey and gravy. Most importantly - defrost the turkey NOW. It takes a whole day just to defrost a mere four pounds of bird. You should have the turkey in your kitchen sink right now.

As for the dishes, tomorrow should be the day to bake all the pies and make all the desserts.Again ask for help. Someone can core and slice the apples along with peel them as you make the crust. Also have assistance if you're making rolls or bread.  (although this can be fun for kids of all ages) Just remember if it doesn't come out right , whipped cream can cover  the pie and butter or gravy can easily disguise any misshapen or burnt crusts or dry crumbs. Keep in mind Wednesday is also a good day to chop veggies for stuffings or even salads. Take a break first from the kitchen, with a quick drive through coffee or sitting in the back yard with a good hot cup of tea. Then go back to food prep. Start with washing and chopping the celery, onion and carrots Slice the Brussels sprouts for roasting.  Afterwards store  the veggies in either aluminum foil which is great for keeping veggies fresh or air tight containers to maintain crispness. If you're making devilled eggs, boil the eggs tomorrow night . It's one less chore to deal with on Thursday. You can also set the table tomorrow so there's less worry about it and more concern put on the kitchen.

Thanksgiving will be a success and run smoothly if there's planning and prep beforehand. Be ready tonight and tomorrow. It'll ensure you creating a better holiday dinner on Thursday afternoon.

Italian Beans On Toast

 These days our kitchens and selves  are overworked and over busy, thanks to us cooking at home. There is an easy solution for lunch or dinner however - an Italian version of the English beans on toast.

I adapted this recipe from the great chef Tejal Rao's recipe for the New York Times Food section. Hers is cooking cannelini beans overnight . They're then put on  oven toasted sour dough bread and floated in their own brown and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. I did an easier riff. It was taking Target's artesan bread and cutting it in half. Olive oil was brushed on both sides.

The slices were toasted for four minutes in a 340 degree F air fryer which got them crispy. As for the beans I used cannelini 

I reserved some of the bean water, mixing in a good drizzle of olive oil and different spices.

 A mix of oregano, garlic and onion powder was added in but you can use fresh garlic along with rosemary  instead. Toss in some pancetta if you want or diced salami. Be creative with the beans.  I let the bean mix cook for about two minutes in the microwave. Super easy.It was then ladled on the toast.

A generous sprinkle of Parma Vegan Parmesan cheese was added.

It was a simple and quick supper that went over well in my house. I will definitely make it again , especially on those days when I'll be baking holiday cookies or house cleaning. These beans on toast also make for a simple but filling Saturday or Sunday night supper. It's  easy to whip up and delicious to eat. You may want to make double. Any leftover beans can be eaten cold as a salad or reheated for more toast the next day.

This is the meal you make when you've had a busy day.It's tasty but better yet it's so easy to create . A few minutes  and you have a warn and filling dish , that has crunch and a lot of flavor. Try it for lunch or dinner.