A Stack of Dishes

Something good is cooking...

Healthy Recipes

5 Days of Coffee and Sweets with Irene’s Beans: Crumb Cake Donuts

by

Coffee was never a drink that was associated with my friends Irene and Andy. Wine yes, beer definitely! But now they are in the coffee bean roasting business, Irene’s Beans– and even though Irene is late to the coffee drinking party- her beans are quite delicious and her passion as intense.
After a full adult life without coffee, a chance cup post dinner in Mexico opened the heavens for Irene, and got her onto this new path. Her beans come from many different places, including Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Barundi and from where I am writing now, Antigua, Guatemala.
Irene sent me 5 different beans, all with very different flavor profiles. They are all so yummy that I felt it best to showcase them all. So for the next 5 posts I will feature a different sweet to go with each of Irene’s Beans.
The first of the five coffees is the Mexican Altura which started the craze. It has a fruity, caramel aroma with a hint of chocolate. I paired it with a baked cake donut, that has a hint of brightness from the buttermilk in the recipe and a simple, crunchy, crumb sugar topping that offsets the bitterness in the coffee.
Though I truly adore donuts- and fresh out of the grease is truly the ONLY way to go- but they can be such calorie bombs, which is only insulting because who can eat only one? This baked version is surprising and light for the heftier cake version, as opposed to a yeasted version. The cake part itself is also not terribly sweet, so the sugar topping adds a nice texture and zap of sugar.
To make these I purchased a donut pan Though I am not a fan of kitchen gadgets with a singular purpose, this pan is so worth it. The donuts turned out perfectly and slipped out of the pan with ease. I’m also going to confess, that the fact that the pan only made 6 donuts was a blessing- small batches are the way to go, and even sticking to eating two is difficult.
Baked Crumb Cake Donuts
(adapted from Wilton Recipe)
makes 6
 
1c all purpose flour
6T granulated sugar
1t baking powder
.5t salt
6T buttermilk, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1T neutral olive oil
1t vanilla
 
6T granulated sugar
3T all purpose flour
2 T neutral olive oil
pinch of salt
 
.5c Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
 
Preheat oven to 425˚
 
In large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, bp, and salt. Stir to combine.
 
In separate bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, olive oil and vanilla.
 
Similarly to making pancakes, pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir swiftly and only until incorporated. The acid in the buttermilk will react with the bp immediately and you don’t want to beat that down.
 
Carefully spoon the batter into each of the rings and using the back of a spoon, spread evenly.
 
In a separate bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt and oil for the topping. Mix together with your fingers and pinch into lumps. Feel free to adjust ratio here to get that effect.
 
Distribute the crumb topping over the donuts evenly. These are not the traditional heavy crumbs, they are more of a crusting and not a heavy layer like in a coffee cake.
 
Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake for approximately 12 minutes. The donuts should spring back to the touch when pressed.
 
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes. Then remove the donuts onto a cooling rack. Wait another 2 minutes and then dust with powdered sugar.
 
 
 

Lasagna, as Individual as Mom is….

by

Early May is a busy time for celebration in my family. It’s my Mother’s birthday, my eldest baby’s birthday (now 25!!) and, of course, Mother’s Day. These events come in rapid succession and sometimes overlap.
We are a family of eaters and celebration, and getting together is always delicious. Whomever is at the helm of the stove for the day gets full reign over what is to be served- though additions of sweets and treats are always welcome. There is no competition, just a welcoming platform of besting ourselves for everyone else’s enjoyment. You never know what’s going to appear on the tables and counter- but it’s all so wonderful.
My take was to do something classic, but slightly different, and also a little lighter. I love lasagna with it’s gooey drippiness, but this version is so lovely and simple, that you can taste the nuances before they get drowned in melty cheese. The best part is they don’t weigh you down, so there is plenty of room for dessert!
Individual Lasagne with Fresh roasted tomato
 serves 4
2 14oz boxes of crushed tomatoes
1 container of tomatoes on the vine
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
2T olive oil
S & P and a pinch of sugar
20 oz container of Fresh Ricotta, or freshly made
1.5 oz freshly grated parmesan
2 healthy pinches of fresh oregano leaves, whole and slightly bruised
12 oz fresh pasta sheets or freshly made
S&P
Olive Oil for pan
Preheat oven to 375˚
In a saucepan combine the crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and seasoning. Cook over a low heat to reduce slightly and meld the flavors. Set aside.
In a bowl combine the ricotta, parmesan, oregano and S&P and stir to combine.
Cut the sheets of noodle into 16- 4″ squares, as evenly as possible.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the squares a few at at time to al dente. Drain and rinse in a bowl of cool water, then set aside until all are done.
In a shallow roasting pan add a T or two of olive oil onto bottom of pan and a spoonful or two of sauce. Lay a set of squares on the bottom. Spoon some of the ricotta mixture onto each and continue to layer for 4 layers.
Top the individual lasagnas with the sauce and place washed tomatoes on the vine on top.
Set into the oven and bake for 35-40 mins. The tomatoes will deflate and the edges of the pasta will brown just a touch.

Grilled Baby Zucchini and Potato Tart

by

As many of you know, I am working through the final semesters of my Master’s degree. I am a proud student at Teachers College, Columbia University-and will graduate with a Masters in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. It’s been a ridiculously long road (6 years already?), but one I truly enjoy. I am a bit of a science geek, so the combination of food and science is a natural pairing. I will share with you though, when I was interviewing for acceptance into the program, I asked if they might tar and feather me. At the time I was a full time wedding cake baker and a certified Sommelier. Thankfully they have not, and I do like to believe that my love of food and cooking adds another dimension to my studies.

We now have come to the end of the semester and this week is finals week. All projects are coming due, and just like I did during my undergraduate work, I find myself in the classic mode: sweats, plates and cups stacked on my desk, coffee but no milk, and a vague recollection of what fresh air and sun are like.

After an hour or two of compiling research, my brain starts to get sluggish. So, I naturally up myself from my desk and toddle into the kitchen. This was a little beauty I came up with during one such refresher moments, a healthy and hearty frittata like tart.
A layer of reduced fat cheddar and potatoes, grilled zucchini and grilled onions all coddled in a eggy mix. I adjusted the egg ratio to include more egg whites, which, in addition to boosting the protein, was the surprising bonus of a fluffier than usual tart. What’s also fantastic about this dish is it reheats beautifully- so one dish, many meals. I just add a green salad on the side, and my life is complete, and now, so is my semester.
Grilled Zucchini and Potato Tart
serves 6
 
3 medium/small potatoes, peeled and sliced into .25″ rounds
7-8 baby zucchini, sliced longways
4 slices of red onion
4 large eggs
3 egg whites
1c reduced fat milk
2c grated reduced fat sharp cheddar, grated
2 cloves garlic
1 small yellow onion, minced
small bunch of fresh oregano
 
Preheat oven to 350˚ and grease a  7″x12″ baking dish, or something comparable.
 
In a mixing bowl beat together the eggs and the milk. Add the garlic and let set it aside.
 
Using a stovetop grill pan, cook the zucchini for a minute or two, just to get a little char and grill marks on them. This adds a little umami accept and makes the dish so pretty.
 
Start layering the dish by first placing the potatoes as evenly as possible. Then sprinkle on the cheese and the oregano. I tossed on a pinch of salt and pepper here too.
 
Then carefully pour the eggy mixture over the top. Arrange the zucchini and the onions as you like. Place the dish onto a baking sheet and into the oven she goes.
 
Test after 45 minutes for doneness, but it should take closer to an hour. The eggs should be set and the dish a pretty golden brown.