Category Archives: snacks

Soy Sauce Butter Popcorn

Posted on by
  • 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
  1. Pop your popcorn however you like: My favorite method is to air-pop it in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid. Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add 3 kernels. Once the test kernels pop, add the rest of the kernels, reduce the heat to medium, and shake constantly until the kernels all pop (or until there are a few seconds between each pop).
  2. Melt together the butter and coconut oil, then whisk in the soy sauce. Whisk in any extra mix-ins, as I listed above (Sriracha, garlic salt, and Parmesan cheese). Another excellent topping is a few tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds.
  3. Pour the soy sauce butter over the popcorn and toss to coat.

 

Soft Pretzel Recipe from fifteenspatulas.com

Posted on by

FOR THE DOUGH:

  • 2.25 tsp instant quick rise yeast
  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 12.5 oz all purpose flour (2.5 cups)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

FOR THE TOPPING:

  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp baking soda
  • vegetable oil for greasing the sheet pan
  • coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  1. Combine the yeast, warm water, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy. This indicates the yeast is alive and working. Add the flour and salt. Mix with the dough hook by hand for a few seconds to roughly combine, then fit the hook and bowl on the mixer and knead on medium low for 5 minutes. The dough should feel soft and smooth, not sticky to the touch.
  2. Cover the dough and let rise for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and lightly grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil. You could use parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  4. Place the dough onto a lightly oiled countertop. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (just cut it with a knife).
  5. Whisk to combine the warm water and baking soda and cook in the microwave for 1 minute. FYI it’s not going to dissolve completely, and that’s okay.
  6. Roll each of the eight pieces into a long rope, and shape each one into a pretzel (see the step-by-step photos on the blog post to see how to do this). Dip each pretzel into the soda wash and place onto the greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, then let them rest for 10 minutes.
  7. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes until the pretzels are golden brown. Brush the pretzels with the melted butter while they are hot out of the oven. Enjoy while they are hot, and keep in mind these don’t taste as amazing the next day. Enjoy!

 

Tamari Roasted Almonds

Posted on by

  • download3 cups whole unblanched almonds
  • 1⁄4 cup tamari or Braggs aminos or soy sauce
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
  2. Spread almonds in one layer on a baking sheet (you may need two pans) – bake 15 minutes.
  3. While baking, mix tamari and sugar in a large bowl until sugar dissolves.
  4. Add hot almonds to bowl and stir to coat. Let sit in bowl 5 min, stirring occasionally.
  5. Return almonds to baking sheets (use slotted spoon so you don’t get too much liquid).
  6. Bake 12 minutes, stir and rotate tray, then bake 12 more minutes until almonds are dark brown.
  7. Remove from oven, cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

Pretzels on the Baking Steel

Posted on by

IMG_7571

12 oz warm water (110ish degrees)
1 T sugar
2 t salt
1 pkg active dry yeast
22 oz AP flour
2 oz butter
6 c water
1/2 c baking soda
pretzel salt (coarse sea salt will work as well)

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Combine water, sugar, salt in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to foam up for about 5 minutes.

3. Add melted butter and flour into mixer, and mix with dough hook for about 4 minutes. The dough will ball up and help clean the sides of the bowl for you, that’s a good sign.

4. Spray a mixing bowl and transfer the dough to that bowl, cover with plastic wrap and proof in a warm environment for up to an hour. You want to see the dough expand a little more than double.

*Chef’s Tip: Spray the top of the dough with pan spray too before wrapping in plastic wrap. This will help you when removing the dough from the bowl and not have any stick to the top.

5. Once your dough has proofed, get it onto a cutting board. At this time, you want to bring water and baking soda to a quick boil to dissolve and turn off. With a bench scraper or knife, portion the dough into 170g for pretzels, 85g for buns. Shape as you wish.

6. Dip your pretzels into the baking soda solution and let sit for about 10-15 seconds. (Traditionally, one would use lye to dip the pretzels in, but we don’t want to poison anyone here). Transfer soaked pretzels onto a baking steel with parchment paper and coat with pretzel salt.

7. Bake for approximately 12 minutes until golden brown and rest for about 3 minutes.

Grab your favorite mustard and dig in, you won’t be disappointed. These didn’t last very long in the test kitchen, believe me.  yields 6 medium pretzels/ 12 buns)

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown’s Good Eats

 

Focaccia with Caramelized Onions, Pear and Blue Cheese

Posted on by
  • 1 cup warm water201101-r-focaccia
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
  • 1 large Bosc pear, cored and sliced
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  1. In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast and honey and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the flour and 1/4 cup of the oil; let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour and the salt and knead until smooth. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic and let stand for 1 hour.
  2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 10 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 450°. Oil a 9-by-13 inch rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the dough to the sheet and press it down to fit. Dimple the dough all over with your fingers and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Let the dough rise until puffed, about 20 minutes.
  4. Scatter the onions over the dough. Arrange the pear over the onions and sprinkle with the blue cheese. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the focaccia and bake for 20 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve.

 

Panko-crusted Crab Cake Bites with Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli

Posted on by

from myrecipes.com/
crab-cakes-su-656208-x

12 ounces shelled cooked crab
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 1/4 cups panko (see notes) or fine dried bread crumbs
Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli (recipe follows)
Fresh chives, rinsed and cut into 1-inch lengths

1. Sort through crab and discard any bits of shell.

2. In a large bowl, combine celery, minced chives, mayonnaise, egg, mustard, and hot sauce; mix well with a fork. Add crab and 1/4 cup panko; stir gently just to mix.

3. Put remaining 1 cup panko in a shallow bowl. Shape crab mixture into 24 cakes, each about 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Turn each cake in panko to coat on all sides, pressing gently to make crumbs adhere. Place cakes slightly apart in an oiled 12- by 17-inch baking pan.

4. Bake in a 475° regular or convection oven until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. With a spatula, transfer crab cakes to a platter. Spoon a dollop of Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli onto each cake. Garnish platter with fresh chives. Serve hot.

Roasted Pepper-Chive Aioli. In a small bowl, mix 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup chopped drained canned roasted red peppers, 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Notes: The Japanese-style coarse bread crumbs called panko are available in many well-stocked supermarkets and in Asian grocery stores. You can make the aioli up to 2 days ahead and the crab cakes through step 3 up to 4 hours ahead; in both cases, cover and chill.

Tomato and Cream Cheese Turnovers from food52.com

Posted on by
  • tomato_cheese_turnover_26 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs (one is for an egg wash)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 sheets of all-butter puff pastry dough, defrosted
  • 1 large tomato, sliced in 1/4-inch thick slices
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • Flour, for dusting
  1. Heat your oven to 375° F. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and one egg plus a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Beat until smooth.
  2. On a floured surface, roll the first sheet of puff pastry out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut it into 6 rectangles. Spread some cream cheese mixture on each rectangle and place a bit of tomato on top of the cream cheese. To make more reasonably sized pastries, fold each of the rectangles over their filling and press the edges well with a fork to seal them, then repeat with the next sheet of puff pastry. To make big pastries, put more filling on each of the rectangles, then roll out the next sheet of puff pastry, cut that into 6 rectangles and put one on top of each of the rectangles with filling, then press around the edges with a fork to seal. Transfer the pastries to two baking sheets.
  3. Whisk the second egg with a tiny splash of water, then brush each pastry with some of the egg wash and sprinkle them with sesame seeds.
  4. Bake each sheet of pastries in the oven until golden brown and puffed, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool slightly before eating, but these guys are definitely best eaten fresh. Otherwise the puff pastry gets a little sad and the tomato gets soggy. Makes 6 very large or 12 more modest pastries

 

okonomiyaki from food52.com

Posted on by

 

  • Food52
    Sauce
    1/2 cup mayonnaise
    2 tablespoons soy sauce
    2 teaspoons sriracha, more or less to taste
    Pancakes
    5 large eggs
    1 teaspoon soy sauce
    1 teaspoon sesame oil
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/3 cup AP flour
    2 cups cabbage, shredded with a mandoline or finely chopped
    1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
    3/4 cups (roughly) baby or chopped shrimp
    canola oil for frying
    1-2 tablespoon toasted sesame seed
    bonito flakes (optional)
  • Whisk the first set of ingredients together and voila, your sauce. Set aside while you make the pancakes.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt. Gradually add the flour until incorporated. Fold in cabbage, scallions, and shrimp.
  • Warm a couple glugs of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until glistening. Ladle the batter into the skillet as you would for regular old pancakes. I usually make them about the size of saucer. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Keep pancakes covered in a warm oven as you make the rest. Scatter sesame seeds and/or bonito flakes on top of pancakes and serve with dipping sauce and a cold pilsner.  Makes roughly a dozen pancakes depending on their size

Baked Kale Chips – allrecipes.com

Posted on by

IMG_3715
1 bunch of kale
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.

With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.

Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

download