Shelf Life

Category: Cookbooks

  • Angela Medearis: The Ultimate Kitchen Diva

    Angela Medearis: The Ultimate Kitchen Diva

    Photograph by Penny De Los Santos-Diabetic cookbook, Author Amgela Medearis

    “People are eating African American food every day, but they don’t know it,” Angela Shelf Medearis says to me when we chat on the phone. In part, she’s talking about James Hemings who, in the complicated way of slavery, trained in the culinary arts in Paris and became a noted chef de cuisine and yet lived most of his life enslaved. Hemings either created or introduced a variety of the foods we eat now such as macaroni and cheese, ice cream, French fries, meringues, crème brulée, and French-style whipped cream.  Another dish he created that we don’t eat regularly if at all is his handwritten recipe for snow eggs–soft, poached meringue, set in puddles of crème anglaise.

              Hemings was the son of Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman and  John Wayles, the man who “owned” her. The two had six children together.  Wayles also had a more traditional family and his daughter Martha married a plantation owner named Thomas Jefferson. Thus, James was the half-brother of  Martha Jefferson who “inherited” James  (that’s so creepy I even hate writing it) when Wayles died. James was eight when they all came to live at Monticello. His youngest sister, Sally was just an infant. To make matters even more complex, after Martha died and Sally reached some type of maturity—she was probably in her mid-teens, she became Jefferson’s mistress and had six children by him, four of whom lived to adulthood.

             

    So, Sally Hemmings was Martha Jefferson’s half-sister, and her children were half-siblings to Martha and Thomas’s children. I only mention all this to show how intertwined Black and White families were and also how the foodways of both merged.

             But while Hemings introduced the Frenchified cookery to America,  

    Medearis, the founder of Diva Productions, Inc., the organization that produces her multicultural children’s books, cookbooks, videos, and audiocassettes, points out that people weren’t eating black-eyed peas before Africans arrive in this country.

              “Back then they even thought tomatoes were poisonous,” she says. “But when they shipped slaves, they also shipped  the foods they ate with them  because that was a cheap way to feed them,” she says. “The recipes for those foods traveled from one place to the other. If they stopped in the Caribbean or South America before coming here, then the recipes changed with the foods and spices available and the types of cooking techniques.”

              Medearis, a television chef known as the Kitchen Diva, has written 107 books. Many are children’s books, but she also is a cookbook author focusing on both the historic roots of African American cookery and healthy eating like The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook: 150 Healthy, Delicious Recipes for Diabetics and Those Who Dine with Them.

    But she didn’t start out to be a cook.

              “I only cooked enough that social services wouldn’t come and take away my children,” she says with a laugh. But her mother, after she retired, decided she wanted to market her raisin pie for some extra income.

    While her mother and sister did the cooking, Medearis who often wears feather boas during her TV appearances and on her PBS cooking show and isn’t shy about being in the limelight, did the marketing.

    But when her mother and sister decided to quit, Medearis knew she had to learn to cook if she wanted to keep her food business going.

    Now she’s so full force that celebrity chef and restauranteur Bobby Flay arrived for a Jerk Chicken Throwdown while she was marinating jerk chicken for a family get. It was for his Food Network show Throwdown with Bobby Flay. 

              Who won I ask?

    Medearis’s Jerk Chicken

              “My chicken had been marinating for hours,” Medearis replies. “He just arrived from Manhattan and threw some spices on his chicken. It burned. I beat Bobby.”

    Watch it here.

    Though she originally didn’t cook Medearis had written several loved historic research. Did I know that George Washington Carver drove a food wagon around to introduce people to healthy foods?

    No. I knew that Carver, who famously said, “There is probably no subject more important than the study of food,” was born a slave and became a botanist, author, educator and agriculturalist. He also collaborated with auto magnate Henry Ford on growing peanuts and soybeans.

    And don’t even get her started on Carver and black-eyed peas.

    “Black-eyed peas, okra, peanuts and sesame seeds, and the oil they produce, are documented contributions from Africa via the slave trade to our American cuisine,” she writes in her syndicated column. “I prepared black-eyed peas any number of ways while doing research for my first cookbook.”

    That would be The African-American Kitchen: Cooking from Our Heritage, a best seller that even now 30 years later is considered a standard on the foodways African Americans bought to this country.  The problem though was getting it published. Her award winning children’s books were published by Dutton and when she brought the idea for her cookbook, she found an editor there who loved the book. But the editor at the next level turned it down, saying he’d published an African American cookbook almost 30 years earlier and no one bought it. He didn’t think the country was ready for another.

    What’s a Kitchen Diva to do? Make a peach pie, of course, as it’s representative of both Black and Southern food history.

    “You could hardly get a peach pie anywhere back then in Manhattan,” says Medearis. Wrapping up both the peach pie and the manuscript, separately we presume, she sent both off to the publishing company.

    She got the contract.

    “That book sold so many copies it was crazy,”

    Overall, she’s written 107 books seven of which seven are cookbooks. Published in seven languages, she’s sold a total of 14 million books. But despite that, she’s not ready to stop.

    “People ask me when I’m going to retire,” says Medearis who lives in Austin, Texas. “Why should I? I’m having a lot of fun with it. I’m doing what I want to do.”

    Creole Chicken Stew

    Makes 8 Servings

    1½ tablespoons olive oil

    1 cup chopped yellow onions

    1 cup coarsely chopped carrots

    ¼ cup chopped celery

    4 cloves garlic, minced

    1 bay leaf

    2 teaspoons diced seeded jalapeño chile

    ¼ teaspoon salt

    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    ½ teaspoon dried thyme

    2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour

    3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

    1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips

    1 cup peeled cubed Yukon Gold potatoes or kohlrabi, or a combination

    1 cup diced zucchini

    1 cup halved okra or frozen cut okra

    4 cups cooked brown rice

    2 green onions, chopped, including green parts

    In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, jalapeño, salt, pepper, and thyme and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

    Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a plate, leaving as much oil in the pot as possible. Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil. Stir in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour begins to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes.

    Gradually whisk in the broth and cook for another 5 minutes, whisking until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the chicken, potatoes or kohlrabi, and zucchini. Return the sautéed vegetables to the pan. Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes.

    Add the okra and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Serve over ½ cup of rice per person and sprinkle with the green onions.

    Kitchen Diva: Tap Your Inner Chef With DIY Recipes

    Angea Medearis, the Kitchen Diva, wrote one of her syndicated columns on creating Do-It-Yourself recipes.

    “Basically, a DIY dinner recipe is about finding a way to retain the flavors of the recipes you love while using the ingredients that you have on hand,” Medearis writes. “If you have always wanted to free yourself from the restraints of a recipe, now is the time to do it! Think of the current lack of ingredients as permission to tap into your inner chef.”

    To ease into creating your own DIY dinner recipes, Medearis suggests starting by making a pot of chowder.

    “No one really knows the origin of the term chowder,” she writes, “but whether it came from French, Caribbean, Portuguese or Brazilian cooks, the basic meaning is connected to the large pot that the meal is cooked in.”

    Medearis is a history buff paritcularly when it comes to food.

    “Chowders were introduced to North America by immigrants from France and England more than 250 years ago. Native Americans called the dish ‘chawder’.” she says noting the word interpreted as “chowder” by early settlers and fishermen in New England.

    “The original versions of the dish consisted of a pot filled with a mixture of fresh fish, salt pork, leftover hardened biscuits (which were used as a thickener), onions, water and whatever spices were available, writes Medearis. “A chowder is a delicious way to use the ingredients you have on hand to create a meal that does not require extensive prep or simmering for hours. My recipe for Seafood and Sweet Corn Chowder uses the basic techniques.”

    My recipe for Seafood and Sweet Corn Chowder uses the basic techniques for making a chowder, but is designed to accommodate the need to vary ingredients based upon what you have on hand or what you can purchase at the store.

    Whether you decide to make a seafood or vegetarian chowder, feel free to create your own version of this DIY dinner.

    SEAFOOD AND SWEET CORN CHOWDER

    If you don’t have all the vegetables, seafood or spices on hand, omit or substitute the ingredient with what you do have. This chowder will still be delicious without it!

    3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

    1/2 cup (about l large stalk) chopped celery

    1/2 medium onion, chopped

    1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

    2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic powder

    1 1/2 teaspoons salt

    1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

    3/4 teaspoon dried dill or tarragon, or 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice

    1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes

    2 cups chicken broth, seafood stock, clam juice, bouillon fish base or water

    1 to 2 large Russet potatoes, or 3 red skin or Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 2-inch cubes, about 2 to 3 cups

    2 large carrots, chopped

    2 cups frozen corn, thawed, or 1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel or cream-style corn, or 6 ears sweet corn, husk and silk removed, or frozen corn on the cob, thawed with kernels cut from the cobb

    2 cups heavy cream, half and half

    Whole milk or 2 (14-ounce) cans evaporated milk

    1 3/4 to 2 cups fully cooked, skinless salmon chunks, or 1 can (14 3/4 ounces) salmon, drained, flaked, bones and skin removed, or 1 to 2 cups fresh or frozen peeled and deveined shrimp, cooked peeled and deveined shrimp, or cooked crab meat (checked for pieces of shell) or a combination of the seafood equaling 1 3/4 to 2 cups.

    1. Place the butter or oil into a large saucepan or Dutch oven placed over medium heat. Add in the celery, onion, green bell pepper, garlic or garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and pepper, dill, tarragon or dill pickle juice, and the cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Saute, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.

    2. Stir in the broth, stock, juice or water, potatoes, carrots and the remaining teaspoon of he salt and pepper. Cover and bring the chowder to a boil.

    3. Reduce heat to low; stir the mixture, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the vegetables are nearly tender. Stir in the corn, cream or milk, and the salmon, shrimp or cooked crab meat (or a combination of seafood). Simmer on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.

    4. Garnish with lemon wedges, chopped parsley or green onions. Serve with toasted French bread or crackers. Serves 6

    Here’s the Jerk Chicken recipe that won the Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

    Jamaican Jerk Chicken

    Yield: 6 to 8 servings

    1/3 cup olive oil

    1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

    1/2 cup orange juice

    1/2 cup lime juice

    1/2 cup molasses

    1/4 cup soy sauce

    1 bunch cilantro, leaves chopped

    4 green onions, chopped

    2 cloves garlic, chopped

    1 Scotch bonnet chili, serrano, or Thai bird

    chiles, seeded and minced

    3 bay leaves

    3 peppercorns

    1-inch piece cinnamon, crushed

    2 tablespoons ground sage

    1 tablespoon ground thyme

    1 tablespoon ground allspice

    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    5 pounds chicken pieces

    Combine the oil and vinegar in a medium glass bowl. Stir in the orange and lime juice, molasses, soy sauce, cilantro, green onions, garlic, chili, bay leaves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, sage,thyme, allspice, pepper, and nutmeg.

    Place the chicken pieces in a large baking pan and pour the spice mixture over them, coating each piece well. Cover with plastic wrap and place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate 12 hours or overnight, turning once.

    Allow the chicken pieces to come to room temperature before grilling. Heat the grill until the coals are somewhat white with ash; the flame should be low. Place the chicken on the grill and cover with the lid. Grill for 30 to 35 minutes, turning pieces to cook evenly. Baste pieces with remaining marinade.

    For more information including recipes, https://www.medearis.com/

  • Dinner’s in the Oven: Simple One-Pan Meals

    Dinner’s in the Oven: Simple One-Pan Meals

    I’m a huge fan of Rukmini Iyer and am revisiting an old favorite Dinner’s in the Oven: Simple One-Pan Meals (Chronicle Books 2018; $19.95), featuring wonderfully easy sheet-pan recipes that always wow people when you bring them to the table. Hah! Little do they know how quick they are to assemble and cook. But we’ll let that be a secret between us.

    First of all, the cookbook is beautiful as would be expected as Iyer, who is based in London, is a food stylist and has worked for such businesses as Fortnum & Mason, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Macmillan Coffee Mornings, The British Heart Foundation, Phaidon, Quadrille Books and Kyle Books, the latter three are three publishing companies known for their cookbooks. Her other cookbooks include Vegetarian Dinners in the Oven: One-Pan Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes, the Roasting Tin series which have sold over 1.75 million copies to date, an India Express: Fresh and Flavorful Recipes for Everyday.

    The great thing about her recipes is that once made they look sophisticated but are extremely easy. But to make it even better, Iyer has composed the book so that it starts off with the easiest recipes first so you learn as you move more forward plus she shows how we can make adaptations and provides charts on how to do so.

    “The nicest thing about oven-made meals is that they are versatile and forgiving,” Iyer writes in the introduction to her book, adding that the recipes require the barest minimum in terms of effort—a little light chopping to start, then tasting and adjusting the salt or lemon juice at the end. “Most importantly, they leave you free to do something else while dinner looks after itself—have a bath, help the children with their homework, or, my preferred option, flop on the sofa with a glass of wine.”

    Iyer describes the French Tomato and Mustard Tart with Tarragon as one of the easiest and most satisfying dishes in the book in her book.

    “The paprika gives it a wonderful smokiness,” she says, “but you could easily use a combination

    of honey and mustard as an alternative. It’s that simple.”

    Spicy Chipotle Chicken Wings with Sweet Potato Wedges, Cilantro & Lime Yogurt

    Serves: 4

    Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 1 hour

    • 1 3/4 pounds chicken wings, separated into wingettes and drumettes
    • 1 3/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch [2½cm] wedges
    • 2 teaspoons chile powder
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • Sea salt
    • Zest and juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges, to serve
    • 4 to 5 tablespoons Greek yogurt
    • A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus more to serve

    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chicken wings and sweet potato wedges in a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet.

    Mix together the chile powder, smoked paprika, brown sugar, olive oil, 2 teaspoons sea salt, and half of

    the lime zest and juice. Pour the mixture over the chicken and sweet potatoes and mix well with your

    hands to coat evenly. Transfer to the oven and roast for 40 minutes.

    Turn the heat up to 400°F and roast for a further 20 minutes, to crisp the chicken skin.

    Meanwhile, mix together the yogurt, chopped cilantro, remaining lime zest and juice, and a pinch of seasalt. Set aside.

    Sprinkle the chicken wings and sweet potatoes with cilantro leaves and serve with lime wedges and the yogurt dip alongside.

    Smoky Sausage, Sweet Potatoes and Red Onions

    Serves: 4

    Prep: 10 minutes

    Cook: 50 minutes

    • 8 to 12 good-quality fresh pork sausages (approx. 13/4 pounds [800g] total) links
    • 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky wedges
    • 2 red onions, cut into eighths
    • 6 cloves garlic
    • 4 teaspoons smoked paprika
    • A good splash of olive oil
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Preheat oven to 350°F.

    In a roasting pan, toss the sausages, sweet potato wedges, red onions, garlic, and smoked paprika with

    the olive oil. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    Transfer to the oven and roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and

    the sausages are sticky and slightly charred. Serve immediately.

    French Tomato and Mustard Tart with Tarragon

    Serves: 4

    Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 30 minutes

    • One 10-by-15-inch sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
    • 2½tablespoons Dijon mustard
    • 3/4 pound vine-ripened tomatoes, thinly sliced
    • 4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

    Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the puff pastry on a parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet.

    Spread the mustard all over, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edges. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on

    the mustard. Sprinkle on the tarragon, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with the olive oil.

    Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges of the tart are golden brown and crisp. Serve immediately.

    The above recipes are reprinted from Dinner’s in the Oven by Rukmini Iyer with permission by ChronicleBooks.

  • Jacques Pépin Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking

    Jacques Pépin Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking

    “This is a pleasure of a cookbook full of great recipes . . .”

    Jacques Pépin, winner of 16 James Beard Awards and author of over 30 cookbooks, has taken his considerable skills and created Cooking My Way, a charming cookbook of easy-to-make recipes designed not only to save money but also time and effort. To add to its delight are his wonderful pastel drawings. It is a cookbook full of good sense, with Pépin, who has starred in 12 PBS cooking shows, sharing how he saves money without impacting the quality of the food he prepares.

    “Buying seasonally is another way to approach economy in the kitchen,” he writes in the book’s introduction. “More often than not, I create my menus at the supermarket, looking for the best, but also the least expensive, and striking a balance between the two.”

    Pépin buys fruits and vegetables in season when they are most flavorful, nutritious, and less costly. The same goes with other ingredients. When whole turkeys are on sale (or in Pepin’s words “attractively priced”) in autumn and winter, he buys them. Lamb and ham grace his menu in the springs when stores are more likely to have them on special. As for pricey seafood, summer is the best time to purchase fish and shellfish as it is most abundant during warm weather.

    It’s also important, he says, to know that first impressions can be misleading when it comes to buying ingredients.

    “For example,” Pépin continues, “the outside leaves of a head of escarole may be wilted or damaged and therefore sold at a discounted price, I will still buy it because the center, the part I want to use, is white, firm, sweet, and tender.”

    Pépin, who founded the Jacques Pépin Foundation, which is dedicated to culinary education, has lessons to impart in this book. Among these are versatility and using not only what is in season and attractively priced but also whatever you have on hand. Because Pépin doesn’t let leftover bread go to waste, there’s a recipe for Cauliflower and Crumbs in which he recommends making your own breadcrumbs using either stale or fresh bread. And there’s his unique Bread Flapjacks. It’s a savory recipe with leftover bread, egg, chopped onions, and herbs. But Pépin shows how you can turn it into a sweet flapjack dish by adding sugar and leftover fruit such as an apple or banana.

    This is a pleasure of a cookbook full of great recipes such as Flan of Green Herbs, Grits and Cheese Souffle, Sweet and Spicy Curried Chicken, and Braised Pork and Cabbage which are intriguing but simple to make is made even better by the full-color photos by Tom Hopkins, and the effort that Pépin has put into it to ensure that we cook wisely and well.

    This review originally ran in the New York Journal of Books.

  • Orange Vanilla Crepes with Whipped Mascarpone and Caramel Sauce

    Orange Vanilla Crepes with Whipped Mascarpone and Caramel Sauce

    As families gear up for Mother’s Day, here’s a great way to show your appreciation for mom and mom figures than by putting three little words into action: Breakfast in Bed, says celebrity chef Curtis Stone.

    Australian-born, Stone is an award winning chef and is chef/owner of Maude in Beverly Hills, Gwen Butcher Shop & Restaurant–and English-style butcher shop eatery, and Georgie by Curtis Stone in Dallas.

    Unsure what to whip up?  Not too worry. Stone’s got you covered with his ALL-NEW breakfast in bed recipe (approved by his wife Lindsay and kids), that blends savory and sweet in a “sparkling” delicious way using Waterloo Orange Vanilla Sparkling Water.

    “My cooking philosophy is to keep it simple and cook with naturally produced ingredients just as Mother Nature intended,” says Stone who is an Iron Chef and is one The Iron Chefs from the new Netflix show (left to right): Marcus Samuelsson, Dominique Crenn, Curtis Stone, Gabriela Camara and Ming Tsai.

    iron chef netflix reboot

    Stone has also appeared on Food Network‘s Iron Chef America in the episode “Battle Skipjack Tuna,” where he lost to Iron Chef Bobby Flay and was a judge on the first season of Crime Scene Kitchen, and was also the red team’s chef’s table guest diner during the second dinner service in Hell’s Kitchen‘s twentieth season.

    He is the author of six cookbooks including Good Food, Good Life, What’s for Dinner?: Delicious Recipes for a Busy Life: A Cookbook, and Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone.

    Orange Vanilla Crepes with Whipped Mascarpone and Caramel Sauce

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup Waterloo Orange Vanilla Sparkling Water
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    • 2 large eggs
    • 4 tsp sugar
    • Pinch of salt
    • 2 tbs unsalted butter
    • Whipped Mascarpone:
    • 8 oz mascarpone cheese, chilled
    • 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
    • Caramel Sauce:
    • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
    • 3/4 cup heavy cream
    • Pinch of salt

    To make crepes:

    1. In blender, combine flour, Waterloo Orange Vanilla Sparkling Water, cream, eggs, sugar, and pinch of salt and blend until smooth. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

    2. Heat medium (10-inch) frypan over medium-low heat. Melt 1 tsp butter in pan.

    3. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into center of pan and swirl to coat bottom thinly. Cook 2 minutes, or until edges of crepe are light brown.

    4. Loosen edges gently with thin spatula and carefully turn crepe over. Continue cooking 1 minute, or until bottom begins to brown in spots.

    5. Transfer crepe to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter to pan as needed, and forming about 10 crepes in total.

    Meanwhile, to make whipped mascarpone and caramel sauce:

    6. In medium bowl, using whisk, lightly whip mascarpone, cream, and zest until soft peaks form. Set aside.

    7. In medium saucepan over low heat, stir sugar and 1/4 cup water until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring for about 8 minutes, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush to dissolve any crystals, until caramel is golden brown. Remove pan from heat and slowly whisk in cream and pinch of salt; caramel will bubble vigorously.

    To assemble and serve crepes:

    8. Lay one crepe flat on work surface and spread some whipped mascarpone over crepe in thin layer. Repeat to assemble remaining crepes. Divide crepes among plates. Spoon caramel over crepes and serve.

    Prep Notes:

    Serves: 4 (makes about 10 crepes)

    Prep Time: 35 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes

    Make-Ahead: Crepe batter can be made up to 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated.

  • Tapas: Classic Small Dishes from Spain

    Tapas: Classic Small Dishes from Spain

    Tapas—delicious tidbits served on tiny dishes that originally served as lids for glasses of wine or sherry—are meant to be just two mouthfuls and were until recently free for those ordering spirits. All that has changed with the increasing popularity of tapas, writes Elisabeth Luard, an award-winning food writer who spent 15 years living in Spain who brings this expertise and experience to her latest cookbook, Tapas: Classic Small Dishes from Spain (Grub Street). But that doesn’t change the enchantment of getting to try many bites of an assortment of delicious foods.

    Courtyards of Córdoba

    Describing tapas as embodying a way of life, Luard tells about her experiences of moving with her novelist husband and their four children to a remote Andalucian valley and learning to appreciate the pleasures of this thoroughly Spanish way of eating.

    “Long before the fashion for open kitchens in Michelin-starred restaurants, the humble provider of tapas cooked to order and set everything out on display,” she writes in the introduction of her book.

    There was a lack of entertainment at the time—they moved there in the 1960s—but there were tapas and wine to be found in the small towns of Andalucía with their Moorish influences and names like Pelayo, Valdepenas, and Puerto de Santa Maria, or the bigger cities such as Algeciras, a bustling seaport. Here, they could enjoy dishes of tapas, drink the local wine, and socialize.

    “Since we did not live in a village, we would make our way to our chosen locale and do the rounds,” she continues. “If we turned east down the road towards the Atlantic, we could have spider-crabs and sea snails in a bar set into the Moorish battlements of Tarifa, and the go on further, to the chozo down by the beach at Punta Paloma, for deep-fried quail and the fattest crispiest chips in Spain.”

    Flowers flowerpot on the walls on streets (Calle Velazquez Bosco). Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain

    Saturday night was typically when Luard and her husband and their four children would plan where to go for tapas. Once they arrived it was typical for bartenders to be ready to recite the list of tapas when asked “Que hay para tapar?” or “What is there to pick on?” And the answer to that depended upon not only local ingredients but also the kitchen equipment as well. That might include a plancha—the flat metal griddle used to grill sardines, prawns, thin slices of tuna, swordfish, and pork fillets marinated with garlic and paprika, a cazuela—a shallow earthenware casserole, or a metal tin filled with white-hot charcoal that dates back to the days of Moors.

    Luard provides a plethora of recipes that she hopes will encourage us to get the tapas habit and once that happens, she suggests we raise our glasses together in the traditional Spanish toast, “Salud, amor y pesetas!” Here’s to health, love and wealth!”

    Flowers flowerpot on the walls on streets (Calle Velazquez Bosco). Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain

    And with her recipes, all simple to make including such small plates as croquettas de atun (tuna croquettes), pinchitos morunos (Moorish kebabs), filetes con cabrales (steaks with blue cheese), and a variety of omelettes, the salutation will be a joy to make.

    The following recipes are from Tapas by Elisabeth Luard.

     Fried Baby Artichokes

    (Alcachofitas fritas)

    • 6 baby artichokes
    • Olive oil for shallow frying
    • Sea salt
    • 1 lemon, quartered, to serve

    Wipe the artichokes and trim the stalks off level with the base. With a sharp knife, peel off the rough outside of the stalks and cute them in half lengthwise. Halve the artichokes and nice out the hairy little choke.

    In a frying pan heat enough oil to half-submerge the artichokes when placed cut-side down in the pan. When a faint blue haze rises from the surface of the oil, put in as many artichoke halves as the pan with accommodate in a single layer.

    Fry until the leaves are prettily bronzed and the choke tender, turning them once. Continue until all are ready, leaving the stalks until the end.

    Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt and serve with the quartered lemon.

    Eat them with your fingers, from the choke towards the leaves as far as is tender.

    Grilled (broiled) Mushrooms with Garlic and Rosemary

    Champinones a la parrilla

    • 8 ounces mushrooms
    • 1 to 2 fat garlic cloves
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil, finely chopped
    • Salt and pepper
    • Bread squares, to serve

    Wipe the mushrooms and trim the stalks level with the caps. Discard the trimmings. Arrange the mushrooms stalk upwards on a grill or broiling pan or griddle.

    Sprinkle the mushrooms caps with the chopped garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper.

    Grill (broil) the mushrooms fiercely until the juices run and the caps are spitting hot. Serve on squares of fresh bread, each speared with a cocktail stick.

    This review previously ran in the New York Journal of Books.

  • Celebrating Ancient Grains: Heritage Baking Cookbook

    Celebrating Ancient Grains: Heritage Baking Cookbook

                A history major and bread aficionado, Ellen King became intrigued by the abundance of grains once available and commonly grown in the United States that had, since World War II, completely disappeared from the marketplace and which often didn’t seem to exist anymore.

              “I spent some time in Norway and bread was about all I could afford to eat,” says King, who earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in history and then attended the Seattle Culinary Academy and worked in several Seattle restaurants before she moved to Evanston, Illinois. Shocked at finding that Chicago didn’t have the types of breads she yearned for, she began a search for heirloom grains and began making bread the old fashioned way—using natural wild yeasts as an ingredient, mixing and turning the dough by hand for several hours and then injecting steam for a crisp crust while it bakes in an imported European oven.  

              But that wasn’t enough for King, who in 2013 opened Hewn Bakerywith partner Julie Matthei in Evanston, Illinois and is the author of Heritage Baking: Recipes for Rustic Breads and Pastries Baked with Artisanal Flour with Amelia Levin (Chronicle Books).  For her hand foraged breads she wanted to harken back to the grains of a century or so ago instead of using the homogenous flour currently turned out by big corporate mills.

              What good was opening a bakery if I couldn’t find good ingredients, King remembers thinking. Partnering with farmer Andrea Hazard who was interested in growing heirloom grains, the two finally connected with Stephen Jones, a wheat breeder and the Director of The Bread Lab at Washington state University. Jones, who earned a PhD in Genetics from the University of California at Davis, suggested she and, a farmer who was interesting in growing heritage wheat, read old farming journals to find out what varieties that were grown at the turn of the last century.

              “There are literally over 10,000 varieties of wheat,” King says. “One person told me 100,000.”
              The names are romantic–Rouge de Bordeaux, Turkey Red and Marquis. But the seeds seemed ephemeral.  Take Marquis, a hard red spring wheat first introduced in Canada in 1895.  It was among the most widely grown wheat in the United States between the 1910s through the 1930s. During the 1920s, Marquis accounted for 59% of the wheat produced in Wisconsin. By the time King went looking for it, Marquis was no longer grown and she couldn’t find the seeds.

              But her years during historical research paid off.  Countless queries led to a college professor who had 2.2 pounds of Marquis wheat. Planting the seeds  King and Hazard were able to produce 30 pounds the first year. Now they hope to have 3000 seeds which will yield enough to both make bread and save seeds.

              “That way we can grow more and share with other farmers,” she says.

         Selecting a loaf of bread from Hewn is like taking a step back into history. The menu of hand-forged breads made from organic, locally sourced re-discovered wheat varieties include those made with Turkey Red, a heritage variety of wheat grown in Wisconsin and Kansas   Lower in gluten the bread has a nutty flavor and Red Fife–a heritage variety of wheat grown and milled in Wisconsin.

         Why did these varieties disappear, I ask King.

         “After World War II the cherished varieties fell out of favor,” she says. “And when we did that we lost the uniqueness of each region where the wheat grew and we lost the flavor. Along with the homogenization of our wheat, we added fertilizers and products like Round-Up and made bread less healthy.”

         It was all about efficiency and mass production.

         “General Mills flour is always exactly the same and large scale baking needs that consistency,” she says. “At Hewn, I invest in people, not machinery. For us, it’s about training the baker in how to treat and understand the flour.”

         Just as wine connoisseurs can recognize the terroir of grapes, King can do the same with wheat. And though heirloom produce like tomatoes, squash and peppers has become a major player in farming, she says wheat varieties are still lagging.

         But she enjoys the challenge of finding farmers who are growing them.

         “There are more and more people doing it,” she says. “I met this guy who is growing Pedigree Number 2. At first I couldn’t find any one growing Red Kharkoff anywhere, but now I’m connecting with a farmer in Washington state who is growing it and all sorts of grains. It takes time, but it’s worth it—it’s better for the soil, for the environment and for our health. It tastes great. And also, it’s history.”

    Heritage Corn and Berry Muffins

    Excerpted with permission from Heritage Baker by Ellen King

    Note: Most of the recipes in Heritage Baker require preparing a starter which is a process that takes several days. King recommended that beginners start with one of her muffin recipes as they are the simplest to make. She also notes that the flavor of flint corn is rich and pronounced but if you can’t find Floriani, any flint corn variety from your region will work well for this recipe. You can also, more easily, substitute regular or coarsely ground cornmeal which is found in supermarkets. Be sure to avoid finely ground cornmeal. Brands available in grocery stores like Bob’s Red Mill offer coarse ground coarse meal and a variety of flours. There are several places in Michigan where you can order specialty heirloom flours.

    Country Life Natural Foods in Pullman, Michigan is a wholesaler but also sells in small amounts. They offer mail order and delivery. 641 52nd St., Pullman, MI  800-456-7694.

    DeZwaan Windmill on Windmill Island in Holland, Michigan sells stone ground cornmeal and flour. Click here for more information about their products.

    Ingredients for some of the grains in King’s book such as flint corn can be found online, at specialty stores or at farm markets.

    Janie’s Mill in Askum, Illinois offers a wide variety of flours including Organic Black Emmer, Organic Einkorn, and Organic Red Fife Heirloom Flour as well as other products such as Whole Organic Spelt Berries, Organic Bloody Butcher Cornmeal, and Organic Turkey Red Flour among many others.

    Batter:

    • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
    • 1/2 cup heavy cream
    • 1/3 cup sour cream
    • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
    • 13/4 cups sifted heritage flour, such as White Sonora or Richland
    • 1/2 cup fine-milled Floriani Flint or other heritage cornmeal
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
    • 1 cup  strawberries, quartered, or blueberries

    Streusel Topping:

    • 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup stone rolled heritage oats
    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

    Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 12-cup muffin pan.

    To make the batter, stir together the granulated sugar and eggs in a large bowl until combined. Stir in the heavy cream, sour cream, and vanilla, followed by the melted butter. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir just until combined.

    Using a wooden spoon, very gently fold in the berries. Do not overmix. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups; the cups should be three-quarters full.

    To make the streusel topping, combine the brown sugar, oats, and butter in a small bowl. Using a spoon or your hands, stir until the mixture becomes crumbly. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the topping over each muffin.

    Bake for 25 minutes, or until a metal skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, or freeze in a resealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. To reheat, set on the counter until thawed and warm in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes.

    Hewn in the News:  Food & Wine magazine featured Hewn as one of the Best Bakeries in America and in the article The Best Bread in Every State. Hewn was listed among the Best Bread Bakeries at the Food Network, and as one of the Best Bakeries in Chicago by Thrillist. Click here to listen to their recent interview on the WBBM Noon Business Hour.  Click here to read Midwest Living Magazine’s “Best of the Midwest.”  Click here to watch  Steve Dolinsky’s recent segment on the bakery on NBC5 Chicago.  To learn more about their expansion to Libertyville, click here.

    Photos by John Lee reprinted with permission by Chronicle Books. Additional photos by Siege Food Photo, Kailley Lindman and Julie Matthei

  • Tasting History: Explore the Past Through 4,000 Years of Recipes

    Tasting History: Explore the Past Through 4,000 Years of Recipes

    “even if we never make these dishes of ancient times, Miller’s book is a fascinating read.”

    “They say ‘history is written by the victors,’ but in my experience, history is written by those who write stuff down, and food is no exception,” writes Max Miller in the introduction to Tasting History, his new cookbook that delves into the foods we’ve eaten throughout millennia.

    Four years ago, Miller had little interest in cooking. But when a friend became sick while they were vacationing and they watched seasons of a cooking shows while overindulging on nachos, that all changed. Developing a passion for baking, he soon was taking his cakes and pastries to Walt Disney Studios where he worked. Besides sharing his creations, Miller also explained the origins of the recipes. Suggestions from friends influenced him to start a YouTube show titled “Tasting History with Matt Miller.” Shortly after, the pandemic hit, Miller was furloughed from his job, as were many others, and his show became a hit to all those stuck at home.

    Now Miller has taken it to the next level with this deep dive into food history that includes original recipes and Miller’s adaptations for home chefs as well as photos, original drawings, anecdotes, and cook’s notes.

    The recipe for this stew is easy, but even if a person could, though it’s unlikely, find the fatty sheep tails, another ingredient—risnatu—has no definite translation, though Miller says it’s commonly agreed upon that it’s a type of dried barley cake. He solves both those problems in his adaptation of the recipe by providing appropriate substitutions that honor the dish’s origins but make it available to modern kitchens.

    But even if we never make these dishes of ancient times, Miller’s book is a fascinating read. As we get closer to our own times—the book is arranged chronologically—we find dishes that are more recognizable such as precedella, a German recipe originating in 1581 that instructed cooks to “Take fair flour, a good amount of egg yolk, and a little wine, sugar and anise seed and make a dough with it.”

    Of course, modern pretzels don’t typically have wine and anise seeds in them, but Miller provides a recipe using all those ingredients so we can get the same flavor profile as the precedellas that were baked almost 500 years ago. It is indeed tasting history.

    Miller has culled recipes from around the world. The book also includes the foodways of medieval Europe, Ming China, and even the present with a 1914 recipe for Texas Pecan Pie that Miller describes as “a time before corn syrup came to dominate the dessert.” His adaptation of the original recipe uses sugar since corn syrup didn’t begin to dominate until the 1930s. The 1914 recipe also calls for a meringue topping, an addition not found in modern pecan pies. So even within a short time span of just over 100 years, Miller shows us how a recipe has evolved though he assures us, we’ll like the 1914 version best.

    This article previously appeared in the New York Journal of Books.

  • Salamati: Hamed’s Persian Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from Iran to the Other Side of the World

    “for the adventuresome home chef, Allahyari offers a world of flavors.”

    In mortal danger for his beliefs, Hamed Allahyari and his pregnant girlfriend fled their homeland of Iran, first spending two months in Indonesia and then, after grueling hours long by truck over badly paved back roads and then days crammed aboard a boat another five months on Christmas Island before being granted asylum by the Australian government. Once there, life remained extremely difficult for the young couple who were now parents of two young children, and though Allahyari had been a chef and restauranteur in Iran, no one was interested—or so it seemed—in Persian cuisine.

    Unable to find work Allahyari began volunteering at the Resource Center, an organization that provides support, legal advice, and other assistance including meals to refugees and people seeking asylum.

    “Every day they feed 250 people a free lunch,” Allahyari writes in the introduction to his cookbook Salamati: Hamed’s Persian Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from Iran to the Other Side of the World. “I started cooking there two days a week, making Persian food for people from all over the world: Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Miramar, Sierra Leone, all kinds of places, and most of them had never tried Persian food before. But when they tried it, they liked it. They talked to me about it, asked me about it, and it made me happy.”

    Culinary Connections

    At the recommendation of others, Allahyari also began teaching cooking classes, demonstrating how to make such dishes as Zeytoon Parvadrah (Olive and Walnuts Chunky Dip), Yogurt and Cucumber soup, Sabzi Pofow Ba Mahi (Fish with Herb Pilaf) Sabzi Pofow Ba Mahi (Fish with Herb Pilaf), and Persian Love Cake. Over the years, Allahyari taught more than 2500 people how to make Persian food. Now, he caters and is chef/owner of SalamiTea, a restaurant located in Sunshine, an ethnically diverse neighborhood in Melbourne. The name is a play on “salamati,” the Persian word meaning both “health” and “cheers.”

    Salamati is more than just a cookbook, it’s also a memoir and homage to the country he had to flee. The introduction to the featured recipes in his book might offer a personal connection to the dish, a description of a unique ingredient that helps define it and bring out its best flavors—though he also offers a substitute for such items as Persian dried limes, which might be difficult to locate outside of a major city, and/or puts the food in context with the scenes to Iran.

    “This dish is traditionally served in Iranian shisha shops, the cafes where older men gather to smoke water pipes, drink tea and solve the problems of the world,” he writes about Ghahve Khunee Omelette (Street-Food Tomato Omelette). “Shisha shops don’t really serve food but inevitably people get hungry while they’re hanging around, so it’s become traditional for staff to whip up a quick tomato omelette for customers and serve it with bread, raw red onion, herbs and lemon. If you want one, all you ask for is ‘omelette.’ There’s no menu as such.”

    Not all the recipes are easy but for those who don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, there are enough simple ones to get started. Full-color photos of each recipe show what the finished product will look like. And for the adventuresome home chef, Allahyari offers a world of flavors.

    This review originally appeared in the New York Journal of Books.

  • Singapore Cooking: Fabulous Recipes from Asia’s Food Capital

    Singapore Cooking: Fabulous Recipes from Asia’s Food Capital

    “If you love to cook, are undaunted with unique ingredients, and want to capture the flavors of another land, accept the challenge and get cooking.”

    In the late 1800s and early 1900s, chop suey houses were all the rage. Opening early and closing late, they were a place to get a good, cheap meal no matter what time of day or night. Over the following decades chop suey and chow mein remained the go-to dishes for those ordering Asian food. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that American diners discovered other regions of Chinese cuisine, Hunan and Szechuan being the first two major ones. For those who loved the flavors of Asia, Malaysian, Indian, Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese were also added to the selection of what to eat and cook. But Singapore gastronomic endeavors were often overlooked.

    Not anymore.

    To those in the know, Singapore cuisine has always been, as Terry Tan and Christopher Tan write in their introduction of the cookbook Singapore Cooking: Fabulous Recipes from Asia’s Food Capital (Tuttle Publishing), a topic of utmost importance.

    “Some wag once said that the quickest way to start a debate in Singapore is to walk up to a random group of people and ask them “So where can I get the best chicken rice?” the two Tans write in the book’s foreword.

    The great Anthony Bourdain also weighed in about the foods of this island nation saying, “New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Singapore’s the city that never stops eating. For a gastro-tourist, somebody who travels to eat, any kind of serious eater, Singapore’s probably the best place you can go . . .”

    Looking through this glossy paged book with its full-color photos and 100 recipes including those for such dishes as Ayam Tempra–Chicken Braised in Spicy Sweet Soy, Gulai Prawns with Pineapple, Nangka Lemak Young Jackfruit Coconut Curry, and Coconut Pancakes with Banana Sauce, it’s easy to agree that Singapore gastronomy is all “shiok” or in other words “sublime and unspeakably wonderful.”

    But though it all sounds delicious, this isn’t necessarily an easily accessible cookbook. Ingredients such as dried prawns, pandanus leaves, and tamarind may mean for many not only a search or special trip to an Asian grocery store but also an added expense and one where they’ll wonder when they might use the product again. Despite this, for anyone who wants to explore a multicultural cuisine that encompasses influences from many of the surrounding countries as well, it is very much worth the effort.

    To make it easier for the novice, the authors have organized their book into chapters such as “Marinades, Chutneys, Sambals and Achars” and “Breads, Rice and Noodles” and included a nice glossary of ingredients (with photos!) as well as a brief history of Singaporeans cuisine.

    If you love to cook, are undaunted with unique ingredients, and want to capture the flavors of another land, accept the challenge and get cooking.

    About the Authors and Photographer

    Terry Tan is a distinguished cooking teacher, food consultant, food historian, and writer who has been dishing up Singaporean delights to people around the world for many years. He writes and broadcasts regularly on Asian and Oriental food and cookery from his base in London.

    Christopher Tan is an award-winning writer, cooking instructor, and photographer who contributes articles, recipes and pictures to numerous magazines in Asia. Singaporean by birth, he grew up in London and now hangs out anywhere there is good food. You can find his work at www. foodfella.com.

    Edmond Ho is a noted food, travel, and lifestyle photographer based in Singapore. In the late 1990s, he introduced a new style of food photography in Singapore using extreme close-ups and blurred backgrounds together with natural lighting. He has done shots for more than 25 cookbooks.

    This review originally appeared in the New York Journal of Books.

  • Delicious Poke Cakes: 80 Super Simple Desserts with an Extra Flavor Punch in Each Bite

    Delicious Poke Cakes: 80 Super Simple Desserts with an Extra Flavor Punch in Each Bite

    In their book, Delicious Poke Cakes: 80 Super Simple Desserts with an Extra Flavor Punch in Each Bite, authors Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore show us how easy it is to make poke cakes. And what is a poke cake? It’s basically a cake where you poke holes in the baked cake and add some extra ingredients.

    How easy is that? Super easy.

    About the Authors

    Roxanne Wyss with Kathy Moore, The Electrified Cooks, are cookbook authors, food consultants, food writers, cooking teachers, and food bloggers, who share their test-kitchen expertise through creative recipes and tips that make cooking easier and more fun. This is their sixteenth cookbook, previous titles include Rice Cooker Revival and The Easy Air Fryer Cookbook for The American Diabetes Association. They teach cooking classes, consult with food and appliance companies, write feature articles and appear on television, including appearances on QVC. Their professional careers in food, spanning over thirty years, now include a popular blog, PluggedintoCooking.com.

    Tequila Sunrise Poke Cake

    Sunrise paints a graduated array of colors as the deep orange and red fade into yellow. That beautiful view is what gave this historic drink its name. While the drink is as old as the Prohibition era, it became popular in the 1970s when a bar in Sausalito, near San Francisco, reinvented it and traveling musicians from famous rock bands tasted it and helped seal its place in pop culture. The current drink is made of orange juice, grenadine, and tequila—and this cake captures those wonder[1]ful flavors and the striking colors.

    • Non-stick cooking spray
    • 1 (15.25- to 18-ounce) box yellow cake mix
    • Eggs, oil, and water as directed on the cake mix
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 (3-ounce) box orange gelatin
    • ¼ cup tequila
    • 3 tablespoons grenadine syrup
    • 1 (8-ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed

    Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish

    with nonstick cooking spray.

    Prepare and bake the cake according to the package directions for a 9 x 13-inch cake. Place cake on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

    Poke holes evenly over the baked cake using the tines of a fork.

    Place the water in a 4-cup microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave on High (100%) power for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the water comes to a boil. Stir the gelatin into the water until it is dissolved. Stir in the tequila. Pour the gelatin mixture evenly over the cake.

    Slowly and evenly drizzle the cake with the grenadine, making a striped design across the cake. Cover and refrigerate the cake for 1 hour. Frost the cake with the whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or up overnight before serving.

    Variations

    If you prefer to omit the tequila, prepare the gelatin as directed. Stir in ¼ cup cold water and proceed as the recipe directs. If desired, instead of using all water to prepare the cake mix, substitute ¼ cup tequila and ½ cup orange juice for part of the water. Add water, as needed, to equal the required amount of liquid specified on the cake mix box. Proceed as the recipe directs.

    Tips

    Grenadine is a sweet, red syrup that is often used to flavor cocktails. While it is not a liquor, you will often find it in the grocery store shelved with mixers and supplies for cocktails.

    Chocolate and Vanilla Poke ’n’ Tote Cakes

    Neat and portable, these luscious chocolate cakes are ready to take to the park, soccer field, or office, or any time you want a dessert to go. They are a winner, and the chocolate cake, topped with a creamy vanilla pudding and then a chocolate glaze, just may remind you of a cream-filled snack cake!

    • Nonstick cooking spray
    • ½ cup boiling water
    • 1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
    • 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
    • 1 large egg
    • 2½ cups whole milk
    • 1⁄3 cup canola or vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix

    CHOCOLATE GLAZE

    • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
    • 1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
    • 2½ tablespoons whole milk
    • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

    Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

    Spray 12 (8-ounce) canning jars with nonstick cooking spray. Set the lids and rings aside.

    In a small bowl, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa powder until smooth; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking pow[1]der, baking soda, and salt. Using a handheld mixer on low speed, beat in the egg, ½ cup of the milk, the oil, vanilla, and cocoa mixture.

    Scrape down the sides of the bowl well and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Spoon about ¼ cup of the batter into each prepared jar. Do not cover.

    Arrange the jars in a shallow baking pan, leaving about 1 inch between the jars.

    Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. (Do not overbake.)

    Place the baking pan with the jars in it on a wire rack and let the cakes cool completely. Poke holes evenly over the baked cakes in the jars using a drinking straw.

    In a medium bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and the remaining 2 cups of milk until the pudding is blended. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the pudding over each cake.

    Seal each jar with its lid and ring and refrigerate the cakes for 1 hour.

    MAKE THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in the cocoa powder. Remove from the heat.

    Stir in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla and stir until smooth. The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle off the tip of a spoon.

    Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the Chocolate Glaze over the pudding in each jar. Gently, using the back of a spoon, spread the glaze to cover the pudding completely.

    Seal each jar again and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight before serving.

    Variations

    Poke Cupcakes: Line muffin pans with paper liners. Prepare the batter as directed and spoon it into the pre[1]pared pan, filling each cup about halfway full. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.

    Proceed as the recipe di[1]rects, poking the cakes with a drinking straw, topping with pudding, and spreading the pudding to the edge of the cupcakes. Top with the glaze, gently covering the pudding. Individual Poke Cakes: Instead of canning jars, prepare the individual poke cakes in 8-ounce ovenproof ramekins. Spray the ramekins with nonstick cooking spray, then spoon in the batter, filling ramekins about halfway. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Proceed as the recipe di[1]rects, poking the cakes with a drinking straw, topping with pudding, and spreading the pudding to the edge of the cakes. Top with the glaze, gently covering the pudding.

    Crunchy Toffee Poke Cake

    Do you need to bring a dessert to the office party, potluck, or bunko night? No wor[1]ries! Bake Crunchy Toffee Poke Cake the day ahead, and you’ve got it covered. This will make the gathering memorable to many, and there won’t be one piece left to carry home. That’s a good thing, right?

    • Nonstick cooking spray
    • 1 (15.25- to 18-ounce) German chocolate cake mix
    • 1 (3.9-ounce) box chocolate pudding mix
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 2⁄3 cup water
    • ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
    • 4 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 1 (12.25-ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping
    • 1 (8-ounce) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed
    • 4 (1.4-ounce) milk chocolate English toffee candy bars

          Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish  with nonstick cooking spray.

    In a large bowl using a handheld mixer on low speed, beat together the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl well and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.

    Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

    Place the cake on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Poke holes evenly over the baked cake using the handle of a wooden spoon. Let the cake cool completely.

    Drizzle three-quarters of the caramel topping into the holes on the cake.

    Frost the cake with the whipped topping.

    Place the candy bars in a zip-top bag and coarsely crush with a rolling pin or mallet. Sprinkle the candy bars evenly over the cake.

    Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, drizzle the top of the cake with the remaining caramel topping.

    Variations

    You can substitute caramels and milk for the caramel ice-cream topping.

    Combine 1 (14-ounce) package caramels, unwrapped, and ¼ cup whole milk in a microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave on High (100%) power in 30-second intervals, stirring well after each, until the caramels are melted and the mixture is smooth, making sure not to overcook the caramels.

    Pour three-quarters of the caramel mixture into the poked holes in the cake.

    Warm the remaining caramel mixture in the microwave on high power for 10 to 15 seconds or until warm.

    Drizzle over the cake just before serving.

    TIP

    If you want to reduce the amount of chocolate, use a white or yellow cake mix in place of the German chocolate cake mix.