Cheesy Pesto Rice

Cheesy Pesto Rice

Rice and peas, with chicken- baked or fried- is the Sunday food tradition in Barbados. Suggesting trying something different for Sunday lunch will generally draw a blank stare from your average Bajan. They may countenance adding salads and other side dishes, but rice is the standard.

I have never been a fan of rice, though I have eaten it almost every Sunday for my entire life. However, rice and corn are the most readily available alternatives to wheat. Wheat and I have a long and happy association but lately it has become apparent that I feel better if I don't  eat it. Choosing to significantly cut back on the amount of wheat products consumed, means turning to rice a lot more than before.

This is a quick recipe I made up when I got very bored of eating rice.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked rice (may be brown or white, with or without peas or vegetables)
• 2 tbsp cream cheese (flavoured is good e.g. chive & onion)
• 1 tbsp basil pesto (OR 4-5 medium sized fresh basil leaves, very finely chopped)
• 1.5 - 2 oz cheese (e.g. cheddar, mozarella, edam etc.; use one type or mix two or more kinds)
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated (OR 1/2 oz shredded)
• 1/4 tsp powered garlic or garlic & herb seasoning
• 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried chives
• A few dashes of pepper sauce, optional and to taste
• A pinch of black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350F.
2.  Mix all the ingredients together very well, in a bowl. Rice should form a soft but firm mass.
3.  Spray a small oven proof dish evenly with cooking spray.
4.  Put all the rice into the dish.
5.  Cook in pre-heated oven for 15 -20 minutes, till heated through and the top is golden brown.

Internet Recipe- Microwave Cake-In-A-Mug

Yellow Mug Cake Topped with Jam

I love cake.

It is probably my favourite food. I think it should have its own food group. I have a permanent cake craving. Mug Cakes are a fast way to deal with a craving for dessert.

I (or rather my sister) first came across the microwave mug cake concept in a Readers' Digest. And I confess I was...very skeptical. Microwaves do not have a sterling reputation for cake making. Cakes, with few exceptions, are supposed to be light with a  fine texture. Microwaves rubberize food. Microwave and cakes did not seem an auspicious pairing.

But the cake turned out very nice, with some fine tuning. Taking the time to make a few adjustments depending on the power of your microwave etc. can lead to an even better cake. Or you can just toss it together quickly and zap the craving faster. Either works.

That Reader's Digest recipe was a chocolate cake. The recipe below is a plain yellow cake which is more versatile that the chocolate versions (credit to Buzzfeed, URL included). The parts highlighted in green are my notes/variations on the original recipe.

What I Did...

• Added lime juice because its very egg-y.  You can also try beating the eggs with a bit of lime/lemon rind, before adding to the mixture, if you really can't stand a strong egg taste.
• Flavoured it with 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract, 1/4 teaspoon of rum extract and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon. 
• Topped it with some strawberry jam on finishing, while it was still hot. To get jam to a pouring consistency, microwave it 10 second intervals, stirring in between.
• Sifted the flour three times. I always do. Never mind the "pre-sifted" thing written on the bag. Sift your flour. Three times. Light flour is critical for light cakes.

I think the liquid ingredients should be added to the dry ingredients and not the other way around (which will create a lot of lumps). This approach should make the cake a bit lighter.

I have found it better to cook a microwave mug cake for the least amount of time needed to get it just firm. Then give it some standing time to set properly. Standing time is a staple of microwave cooking that most people have forgotten about. In our microwave I cooked it for two minutes and then let stand, longer cooking times made it rubbery.

I have also tried drizzling some sweetened coffee and  amaretto syrup unto the finished cake. That was delicious.

Possibilities. Try it for yourself and post your variations.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

MICROWAVE MUG CAKE- YELLOW

http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/tips-recipes-microwave-mug-cakes?s=mobile

Yellow cake is the classic birthday cake, and a perfect blank canvas on which to paint a sweet celebratory picture. Eat it as is, or fold in anything you like — chocolate chips, candies, nuts, fruits — to create a personalized mug cake statement.

Makes 2 mug cakes

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lime/lemon rind OR 1/4 -1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) self-rising flour [if you don't have self raising flour use 6 tbsp plain flour plus 3/4 tsp baking powder]
Pinch of kosher salt

Topping Ideas: Chocolate frosting, vanilla frosting, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate jimmies, or colored sugar crystals.

PREPARATION

1. Place the butter in a large mug and microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds until melted. Add the egg and whisk it in with a fork.
2. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and sugar.
3. Add the flour and salt. Beat the batter until smooth.
4. Divide the batter between two mugs.
5. Microwave separately for 1.5 to 2.5 minutes each until risen and firm.

Blueberry Cheese Cake

Blueberry Cheese Cake

First things first, let's get something straight.....

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with using condensed milk to make a cheesecake. It is quite economical. In many Caribbean countries, it has traditionally been a pantry standard, and is therefore usually to hand. Additionally, I have found it to be very flexible in cheese cake recipes- you can easily adjust the amount of condensed milk to adjust the sweetness.

This is a nice, simple recipe, great for the inexperienced baker. I have tried a number of cheesecake recipes and always come back to this one...with its condensed milk.

Food Network and Cooking Channel are making culinary snobs of us all...

INGREDIENTS

Crust

One 8- or 9-inch ready-made graham cracker pie shell

OR

8 oz  digestive biscuit crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs, if you are from the USA)

2 oz  sugar

2 oz  margarine or butter

Filling

2 - 2 1/2 packages cream cheese (each package = 8 oz.)

1  can condensed milk (12 - 14 oz)

2 eggs

2 tsp lime or lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla essence or vanilla extract

Blueberry Topping

1 can blueberry topping

OR

2 cups frozen blueberries

1/2 cup water

1/4 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar (optional)

1 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp lemon juice
sprinkling of cinnamon

METHOD

Topping

If you are making the topping from scratch...

1.  Combine the blueberries, sugar, water, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. 

2.  Dissolve the corn starch in a tablespoon of cold water, whisking until smooth. 

3.  Pour the corn starch into the fruit mixture in the saucepan and cook until thickened. 

4.  Remove from the heat and cool.


Crust

If you are making the crust from scratch...


1.  Combine digestive biscuit crumbs and sugar.
2.  Melt the margarine (or butter).
3.  Add melted margarine (or butter) to the dry mixure of crumbs and sugar. Mix well, until the fat is evenly distributed.
4.  Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. You can also press some of the crumbs onto the sides. Be sure to distribute the crumbs evenly. There should be very little variation in the thickness of the crust.
5.  Place the crust in the fridge or freezer to chill. Use the freezer if you will be ready to fill the crust in about 15 - 20 minutes. Otherwise, place in the fridge.

Filling

1.  Pre-heat your oven to 350 F.2.  While the crust is chilling, cut cream cheese into small pieces and place in a blender.
3.  Add the eggs, milk, lime juice and vanilla.
4.  Blend all the ingredients until completely combined. The batter will be a thick liquid.
5.  Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Do not overfill*.
6.  Bake at 350 F for 30 - 40 minutes, until almost set.
7.  Remove from the oven and cool.
8.  Remove from the cake from the pan and arrange it on a serving plate. Pour on the blueberry topping and serve.

* If you have left-over batter, you can bake it in another dish, well-greased. Voila! Crust-less cheese cake!

My Baking Powder Dillema

I actually did the Cream Cheese Pound Cake twice.

This first time around I wasn't satisfied with the outcome. The cake was light with a good texture and tasted lovely.

But when it was sliced there was a faint "line" towards the bottom of the cake. It looked like a shiny streak of compacted cake.... I'm sorry I didnt take a pic. It's proving to be very hard to describe.

This is not the first time we have had this problem. Sometimes, when this happens it may due to egg whites that that not been mixed in properly. However in reviewing the process I didn't think this was the case. The eggs are beaten first before being added to the cake and I mix quite well between additions. Also the cream mixture didn't show any signs of curdling suggesting that the egg wasn't incorporated. And anyway I have found that curdling is quickly corrected at the folding in stage.

I have long suspected that this was an issue related to the baking powder. If the b.p. isn't working well, then the cake may not be rising properly and compacting at the bottom, giving that denser area at the base.

So I decided that the second time around I would try to eliminate all likely  b.p. issues. I bought a brand new tin of b.p. I bought a different more expensive brand. I also decided to make sure that I had the precise proportions of flour to b.p. 

Now the correct proportion is 1 tsp b.p. to every 4 oz of flour. But as I looked at the recipe again I realised that the flour is in cups (volume) and ounces (weight)! The recipe suggests 2 tsp b.p. to 2 cups flour, which is typically used for 8 ozs of flour. But my mother always said that she used 3 cups of flour as  equivalent to 1 lb. 2 cups would be 2/3 lb, more than 1/2 lb.

I measured the flour, according to the recipe, and then weighed it. And guess what? The 2 cups of flour weighed more than 8 ozs. Actually closer to 10 ozs. A light bulb went off in my head. So I calculated the corect amount of b.p. for the weght of the 2 cups of flour and used that instead of the 2 tsps- about 2.5 teaspoons.

And would you, believe it- problem solved! Perfect cake!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Some months ago, when I first started this blog, with every intention of sticking to my New Year's resolution, I decided to do one of my favourites- the Cream Cheese Pound Cake. I did it and shot the photo you see above...and never posted it. So here it is. This is a simple cake, that is excellent with ice cream.


INGREDIENTS (see below for ingredients by weight)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1pkg cream cheese (8 oz.)
1 cup butter
1.5 cup sugar
4 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
1.5 tsp lemon rind
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt*

Optional garnish: powdered sugar and lemon rind


METHOD

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 F.
2. Grease and flour two (2) 8 oz. loaf pans and set aside.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. Beat eggs (with a twist or two of lemon rind). Set aside.
5. Mix cream cheese and butter, on low speed, until well blended. Beat in sugar until smooth.
6. Add eggs, slowly, beating well after each addition. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl often.
7. Add lemon juice, lemon rind and vanilla.
8. Fold in the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Batter will be rather heavy.
9. Divide the batter between the two prepared loaf pans.
10. Bake at 325 F for one (1) hour or until a tester (or toothpick), inserted into the centre, comes out clean.
11. Let the cakes stand in pan for ten (10) minutes. Then turn onto a cake rack to cool thoroughly.

Serving Suggestion

Slice and place on a serving platter. Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle with grated lemon rind. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

* Do not add salt if your margarine or butter is salted!


INGREDIENTS (by weight)

2/3 lb all-purpose flour (10.6 oz)
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
8 oz. butter
10.5 oz sugar
4 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
1.5 tsp lemon rind
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt (optional)

Cous Cous Salad

 

Cous Cous Salad

I really started this little project in December 2012 around Christmas. So the first posts will be two recipes from last month: a Cous Cous Salad and a Cheesecake.

I haven't decided on January's recipes but I have some packages of cream cheese lurking in the old cold box, so I am seriously considering a cream cheese pound cake. This is a lovely lemon-limey cake that goes very well with ice cream. I haven't made one in literally years. And I recently got myself a copy of Marcus Samuelsson's cookbook- there are a couple of things in there that I wanted to try. Possibilities.

But first the Cous-Cous Salad...and Cheese Cake!

Cous Cous Salad

Ingredients

Salad

ð       1 box of cous cous- roasted garlic flavour

ð       Feta chese

ð       ½ to ¼ red onion, diced small (depending on taste, preference and pungency of the onion)

ð       1 can of channa

ð       1 cucumber, diced fine

ð       1 tomato, de-seeded and diced (optional)

ð       ½ - ¼ cup of raisins

ð       ½ - ¼ cup of dry roasted nuts, unseasoned

ð       ½ red sweet pepper, diced small (optional)

ð       ½ yellow sweet pepper, diced small (optional)

ð       ½ green sweet pepper, diced small (optional)

ð       Fresh thyme, chopped fine

  Fresh marjoram, chopped fine   
(these fresh seasonings should be about 1 - 2 tbsp in total)

ð       Fresh parsley, chopped fine                       

ð       3 – 4 blades fresh chives (seasoning), chopped fine

Citrus Vinaigrette

ð       ¼ cup olive oil

ð       1/3 – ½ cup lemon juice (or lime juice)

ð       ½ teaspoon of mustard powder (or prepared mustard)

ð       ¼ tsp garlic powder

ð       Salt (to taste)

ð       Pepper (to taste)

Method

Prepare Channa

1.   Roast channa over a medium heat. Season well- curry, a clove of garlic, a dash of onion powder, salt and pepper to taste.  This can be done the ahead of time. Set aside cooked channa or refrigerate overnight.

Prepare Vinaigrette Dressing

2.   Prepare the dressing by whisking lemon (or lime) into olive oil. Add mustard, and garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste and whisk well. This can also be prepared by mixing all ingredients in a blender on medium to high speed.

Prepare Salad

3.   Prepare cous cous according to package directions.

4.   Toss together the prepared cous cous, cooked channa, red onion, cucumber, tomato, sweet peppers, nuts, and fresh seasonings (thyme, marjoram, parsley and chives). Mix well.

5.   Add as much of the dressing as you wish. The tartness from the lemon/lime should be prominent but not overpowering. Sprinkle in some more lemon/lime juice if you find you prefer tartness. If the dressing has been sitting for a while and begins to separate, re-whisk before adding to salad.

6.   This salad can be served warm or chilled, on a bed of lettuce.

NB: for most of the ingredients you can vary the amounts to get the right proportions. Add less or more depending on your tastes. The key ingredients are the cous cous, feta cheese, red onion, channa, cucumber, parsley and vinaigrette. You can omit ingredients that are out of season or pricey, or substitute these with something else.