Shanghai-Style Poached Salmon from splendidtable.org

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  • 4 salmon fillets, about 6 oz [170 g] each, skin and pin bones removed

Sweet Vinegar Sauce

  • 1/2 cup [120 ml] soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup [60 ml] distilled white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup [50 g] sugar
  • 4 green onions, including green tops, cut into 1-in [2.5-cm] lengths
  • 4 thin slices fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
  • 3 cups [720 ml] water
  • 3 green onions, including green tops, cut into 1-in [2.5-cm] lengths
  • 5 thin slices fresh ginger, peeled

1. Remove the salmon from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature.

2. To Make the Sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the 4 green onions and julienned ginger. Set aside.

3. In a sauté pan just large enough to hold the salmon fillets in a single layer, combine the water, 3 green onions, and sliced ginger. Bring to a boil over medium heat, turn the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully slip the salmon into the pan. (The salmon should be completely submerged in the poaching liquid. If it isn’t, add a bit more water.) Cover the pan and poach the salmon for 5 minutes.

4. Again using the spatula, lift the salmon to a plate. Carefully drain off almost all the poaching liquid from the pan, leaving only 1/4 cup [60 ml] in the pan. Remove and discard the green onions and ginger from the pan. Return the pan to medium-low heat and add the vinegar sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Slip the salmon back into the pan and baste with the sauce. Continue to braise the salmon, basting frequently, until almost opaque throughout, or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 125°F  [52°C] or a little above, about 8 minutes. The sauce will have reduced and thickened a little.

5. Transfer the salmon to warmed dinner plates or shallow pasta bowls. Spoon the sauce around the fillets, dividing it evenly. Serve immediately.

 

Strawberry Pie from shortstopblog.com

1 quart (about 2 pounsp26ds) fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
juice of 1/2 lemon or 2 tbsp.
1 unbaked pie crust
1/2 cup whipping cream, optional

Wash strawberries and hull (removing the green tops and core). Chop 1/2 of the berries with into small pieces then whirl with emersion blender

Place chopped berries into a sauce pan and begin to cook over medium heat. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to pan with crushed berries. Add lemon juice and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.  cool 10 min or so.

Cut remaining strawberries into halves and mix with the cooked mixture.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pie crust into 9″ or 10″ pie plate. Flute edges. Prick with fork all over, about 40 times. Place piece of foil inside pie crust, lightly pressing around inside bottom edges of crust. Fill with dried beans. (The beans allow the pie crust to remain its shape.)

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove beans and foil. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes until edges are golden brown.

Pour strawberry mixture into baked pie shell. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until pie is set. (May require overnight to fully set.) Serve topped with whipped cream, if desired.

http://www.shortstopblog.com/2010/04/its-time-best-fresh-strawberry-pie.html

Small World Coffee’s Ginger Scones with Cardamom

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  • 3 c. flour
    2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon cardamom pods, crushed and inner seeds ground
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped in 1/4-inch pieces
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

  2. Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, the bowl of a food processor, or in a large bowl and mix by hand. Sift ground cardamom seeds into mixture; stir to combine. Add butter and mix until crumbly.

  3. Add ginger, sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 egg. Mix, blend, or pulse, just until combined; do not overmix.

  4. Form 1/3 cup dough into a ball or use a large ice cream scoop, and place dough on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing scones about 2 inches apart.

  5. In a small bowl, mix together remaining egg with a dash of water. Brush scones with egg mixture and sprinkle evenly with remaining 4 teaspoons sugar. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Caramel apple sheet cake from chef-in-training.com

Caramel-Apple-Sheet-Cake-1
2 cups flour plus 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup shortening
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups peeled and chopped green apples
Frosting
  • ½ cup butter
  • 6 Tablespoons milk
  • 3½ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅛ cup caramel sauce (I use caramel ice cream topping)
  1. In a large mixing bowl, measure flour, sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside.
  2. In medium sauce pan combine butter, water, and shorting. Bring to a boil. After mixture reaches a boil add it to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add buttermilk, then baking soda, then eggs, then vanilla in that order, mixing in between each addition. Stir in apples.
  3. Pour into a 15×13 inch greased jelly roll pan.
  4. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Let cool for about 10-15 minutes.
  5. While cake is cooling, make frosting by combining butter, and milk in a medium mixing bowl. Microwave until butter is melted. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and caramel sauce and stir until smooth. Pour frosting evenly over cooled cake.

Ovenly’s Secretly Vegan Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

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  • 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips (we prefer chocolate with 60 percent cocoa content or higher—double-check the ingredients if you want to make sure they’re vegan)
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
  • 1/2 cup (110 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola, grapeseed, or any other neutral oil
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
  • Coarse-grained sea salt or flaky sea salt like Maldon, for garnish
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the chocolate chips to the flour mixture and toss to coat.
  • In a separate large bowl, whisk the sugars briskly with the canola oil and water until smooth and incorporated, about 2 minutes. Note: Use fresh, soft light brown sugar. If there are clumps, break them up with the back of a spoon or your hand before whisking.
  • Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, and then stir with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until just combined and no flour is visible. Do not overmix.
  • Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours. Do not skip this step.
  • Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper. Remove dough from the refrigerator and use an ice cream scoop or a spoon to portion dough into 2-inch mounds. We recommend freezing the balls of dough for 10 minutes before baking as the cookies will retain their shape better while baking.
  • Sprinkle the balls of dough with coarse-grained sea salt (if freezing, remove balls of dough from the freezer first), and bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are just golden. Do not overbake.
  • Let cool completely before serving.

Pickled Cranberry Preserves from Canadian living

  • 600x400_pickles-cranberry-preserves14138248711 cup  granulated sugar
  • 1 cup  cider vinegar
  • 1 piece fresh ginger, (1 inch/2.5 cm) thinly sliced
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 2 tsp coarse salt
  • 1 tsp  black peppercorns
  • 3 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
  • 4 strips orange zest

In saucepan, bring sugar, vinegar, ginger, cloves, salt and peppercorns to boil; cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Stir in cranberries and orange zest; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until cranberries are just beginning to burst, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool completely, about 2 hours. Strain mixture over bowl, reserving solids and liquid.

Transfer cranberry solids to sterilized 2-cup  jar with tight-fitting lid; top with enough reserved liquid to cover, discarding any excess. Seal tightly. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

 

Spiced Crazy Wacky Cake (No Eggs, Milk or Butter)

  • Spiced Crazy Wacky Cake No eggs Dairy 11 1/2 Cups flour + 2 Tablespoons (all-purpose)
  • 1 Tbsp. pumpkin spice
  • 1 Cup white sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp.  salt
  • 1 tsp. white vinegar
  • 1 tsp.  pure vanilla extract
  • 5 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 Cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a greased 8″ square baking pan.  Make 3 depressions in dry ingredients – two small, one larger (see #3 in photo below). Pour vinegar in one depression, vanilla in the other and the vegetable oil in third larger depression.  Pour water over all.  Mix well until smooth.

Bake on middle rack of oven for 35 minutes.  Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean.  Cool.  Top with your favorite frosting ( I used vanilla). Enjoy!

Frosting Recipes
Vegan Fluffy Buttercream frosting
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (contains dairy)

Other flavors:  http://www.sweetlittlebluebird.com/p/recipes.html

Vermont Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting from food52.com

Adapted from Land O’Lakes
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For the cake:

    • 3 cups flour
      1 teaspoon salt
      1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
      3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
      2 teaspoons cinnamon
      1 teaspoon ground ginger
      3 teaspoons baking powder
      1 teaspoon baking soda
      3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
      1 1/2 cups sugar
      3 eggs
      1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
      1/2 cup evaporated milk
      1/4 cup water
      2 teaspoons vanilla extract

      For the frosting:
      3 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
      1/3 cup butter, softened
      11 ounces cream cheese, softened
      2 teaspoons maple syrup

      Preheat the oven to 325° F. Butter and flour two round 9-inch cake pans (I used a sheet cake pan and punched out my layers using a ring mold, hence the many layers in the photo).
      Whisk together the flour, salt, spices, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside.

      In a separate bowl or in a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

      Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.

      Add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, water, and vanilla, mixing after each addition. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.

      Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake springs back to the touch and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool fully. It’s best to chill the cakes in the refrigerators before frosting them.

      For the frosting: Beat together all the ingredients in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy.

      If you want a cake with more layers, slice your two layers in half horizontally. Frost between each layer and top with more frosting. Leave the sides unfrosted if you like, or cover them with a thin layer of frosting.

      Makes two 9-inch layers

 

Apple Sharlotka by Matt Dano

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  • 4 apples—peeled, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and side of an 8-inch springform pan.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour with the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the almond extract and the remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar at medium-high speed until thick and pale yellow and a ribbon forms when the beaters are lifted, 8 to 10 minutes. Gently fold in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.
  4. Spread the apples in the prepared pan in an even layer, then pour the batter evenly over them. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the batter to sink in a little.
  5. Bake the sharlotka for about 1 hour, until it is golden and crisp on top and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and let rest for 15 minutes. Unmold and transfer to a serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.

 

Pretzels on the Baking Steel

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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