Oat Spiced Apple Cake - Untested

from The Scottish Oats Bible by Nichola Fletcher

Makes 2 cakes

2 Tbsps. sugar

4 apples

6oz/175g oat flour

6oz/175g butter, cut into chunks

6oz/175g brown sugar

Zest of 1 orange

4 eggs

3 tsps. baking powder

2 tsps. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp ground ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Line the base of a 8" cake tin, and butter it all over. 
3. Scatter the caster sugar over the bottom of the tins.
4. Peel, core and slice the apples and lay them on the base of the tins, making a pattern with them if you wish.
5. If using rolled oats instead of oat flour, blitz them in the small bowl of a food processor until it is the consistency of the wholewheat flour.
6. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy, then beat in the orange zest and eggs. Mix the baking powder and all the spices into the oat flour and add half of this into the butter/sugar mixture. Mix briefly, then add the rest and mix until smooth. Pour the mixture over the sliced apples in the tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake begins to shrink from the side of the tin and a skewer comes out clean. Leave it for a few minutes before turning it out onto a plate.

Sweet Stuffed Apple Buns - Untested

Ingredients list from : https://www.facebook.com/reel/517069407480073

Instructions from: https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/apple-cinnamon-buns/

TO FRANKENSTEIN

Filling:

440g apple, diced small

100g sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp lemon juice

500g cream cheese

Dough:

450g bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

360ml (1+1/2 cups) warm milk

2+1/4tsp dry active yeast

50g sugar

20g ground red yeast rice (for the colour)

58g butter (room temperature)

Bake at 300F for 20-25 minutes.

No need to peel the apple.

1. For the dough: Start by making the water roux. In a small saucepan, add the scant 2 Tbsp. of flour and 1/2 cup of water. Stir to combine. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously until it reaches 65° C (150° F). It should have thickened to a paste at this stage, so that when you stir you can see the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, place a piece of plastic wrap over the paste and allow it to cool at room temperature until lukewarm before adding to dough. (If you don’t have a thermometer, cook the mixture until it starts to thicken, then continue to cook for about 1 more minute before removing from heat.)
2. While the roux is cooling, combine the bread flour, all-purpose flour, milk powder, white sugar and yeast into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the lightly beaten egg and lukewarm water roux and mix in. Gradually add just enough of the 150 ml. (2/3 cup) of lukewarm water to form into a slightly sticky, soft dough. (Mine took all 150ml) Knead for 10 minutes by hand or about 5 with the mixer until smooth and elastic, but slightly sticky. If hand kneading, the dough is a bit sticky, so it needs to be thrown onto the working surface once every few minutes between kneading to improve the dough structure. In the mixer, allow the dough to knead a few minutes before adding any additional water or flour. My dough seemed really sticky but after a few minutes of kneading in the mixer, it came together nicely.
3. Knead in the butter into the dough until incorporated. (In my mixer, the butter cubes had a habit of riding up the side of the bowl. I just stopped the mixer every so often and moved them down onto the dough). Once all the butter has been incorporated, remove the dough from the bowl and form into a round ball. Place into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
4. While the dough is rising, now is the time to make your apple filling (if you don't have apple preserves on hand).
5. For the apple filling: Peel and dice your apples and place into a saucepan or microwavable bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. If using the microwave, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove and stir. Test taste a piece of apple. You'll want the apples to be cooked as they won't cook much more in the buns. If they're still hard, microwave for another 1 1/2 minutes and test again. Repeat as needed until the apples are tender. The timing here is a little loose, since different apples will take different amounts of time to soften. Once your apples are tender, leave them in the bowl covered with plastic wrap to cool at room temperature while the bread rises.
6. Prepare your cinnamon sticks for the "stems" by cutting each stick in half lengthwise (Do be careful here. I just laid the knife along the cavity in the middle and gave the top of the knife a rap. Do be sure to keep your fingers out the way! Once halved, break the pieces into 1 1/2-inch lengths, until you have 16 pieces. Set aside.
7. For forming the buns: Once your dough has doubled, remove the it to a lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly and form into a ball shape. Divide the dough ball into 16 roughly equal portions. The easiest way is to first divide equally into 4 larger portions first, then divide each of these again into quarters each. Form each piece into balls and let rest for 10 minutes.
8. Grease 16 regular-sized muffin cups and pre-heat oven to 375° F. (190° C).
9. With a rolling pin, roll one of your dough balls into a a flat circle, about 6-inches in diameter. Place one heaping Tbsp. of the apple filling into the center of the circle. Gather the outside edges of the circle, using a lift, pleat, pinch together motion, until you've formed a sealed pouch. Be sure the dough is pinched together well to avoid filling leakage. By gently patting the edges, you can re-form your pouch into a circle if it has become a bit oval. Place your filled bun SEAM SIDE DOWN into a prepared muffin cup. Repeat until you've completed all your buns.
10. Spray or grease some plastic wrap and place it over the buns (sprayed side towards the buns) and allow to rise until doubled again (mine took about 40 minutes).
11. Once doubled, brush each bun with the egg wash. Stick a piece of a prepared cinnamon stick on top of each bun. (I wasn't sure if they should pierce the dough or not. Most of mine seemed to just bend the dough and not pierce it, although a few did pierce. In the end, it didn't seem to matter in the finished product).
12. Bake: Bake in the pre-heated 375° F. oven (regular bake setting/not fan assisted) for 13-15 minutes, rotating the pans 180° about halfway through cooking, for even browning. Buns should be evenly golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for about 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool. (Once cooled, they can be place back into the muffin cups for storage, if you like). Serve warmed (10 seconds in microwave to re-heat) or at room temperature. Serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, if you like.
13. These are best on the day they are baked, but will keep well for several days stored covered at room temperature. These also freeze well.
14. Notes
15. For Active Dry Yeast: Proof the yeast in the lukewarm water for 5 minutes, then add to the dough when the yeast is specified.

Vegetable Flatbread - Testing

https://www.drveganblog.com/vegan-onion-flatbread-schiacciata-alle-cipolle/#recipe

https://www.drveganblog.com/baked-vegetable-flatbread-recipe-perfect-for-quick-dinners/#recipe

https://www.fattoincasadabenedetta.it/ricetta/schiacciata-alle-cipolle/

A - This is the Onion Flatbread recipe, but I think it's way more versatile and can be made with whatever vegetable, so I also have the other flatbread recipe from the same guy to work from. I can imagine this making a good meal with hummus.

1 - This was pretty tasty. But the baking time is longer than listed. And an important detail is to keep the the batter layer pretty thin. Essentially it's dehydrating the dough while caramelizing the onions in the oven. The dough should be crisp and the middle a bit chewy. I think.

2 - Getting the middle to bake properly is challenging. This last time, the batter was very unevenly distributed, some of the edges overbaked and other parts underdone. I looked into other examples of this same recipe and have added a link to one where the batter is poured into the pan before distributing the sliced onion. I like the onion covered in batter. I wonder if I can do something in between, either just try it like the Italian recipe recommends or dredge the onion in the batter but pour the excess batter in the pan first, the spread the battered onion?

2 onions (17oz/500g), sliced thin

1⅔ cups (200g) flour 

1 tsp salt

1½ cups (350g) water 

¼ cup (50g) olive oil + extra for drizzling 

⅓ cup (40g) grated parmesan 

2 Tbsps. (20g) cornmeal 

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (or 400?).
2. Soak the onions in cold water for 5-10 minutes. Drain well.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the water, flour, olive oil, and salt until the mixture is smooth and forms a fairly liquid batter.
4. SEE NOTE 2 ABOVE
5. Stir in the drained onions to coat.
6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil, and pour the batter into the tray, spreading it out evenly.
7. Combine the parmesan and the cornmeal in a small bowl.
8. Before drizzling with olive on, sprinkle the cheese/corn mixture on top.
9. Drizzle a little olive oil on top to give extra flavor and crispness.
10. Bake for 60 to 90 minutes or until golden and crispy on the edges.
11. Serve warm (not hot!).

Mushroom and Chèvre Dutch Baby - Untested

https://www.livebest.info/mushroom-goat-cheese-dutch-baby/

2 Tbsps. butter

2 tsp oil

2 cup sliced mushrooms

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

2 Tbsps. hot sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

½ tsp dried thyme

4 Tbsps. crumbled goat chèvre cheese

1. Blend eggs, milk, Siracha, flour, salt, pepper, thyme in a blender for 30 seconds.
2. Place butter, oil and mushrooms in 9- or 10-inch oven-proof pan. Heat oven to 425°F. When oven reaches temperature, swirl pan, cook mushrooms 5 minutes more.
3. Remove pan from oven and spoon mushrooms from pan, leaving as much butter mixture as you can. Pour egg mixture into hot pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle mushrooms and goat cheese over pancake; return to oven and bake 5 minutes more. Cut into large wedges to serve.

Muffins aux fanes de radis et au fromage de chèvre - Untested

https://depuismonhamac.jardiland.com/recettes-fanes-radis/ RECIPE #4

0 - I'm adding the photograph because to me, it looks like it has a crust, but no crust is mentioned in the recipe.

2 ou 3 belles poignées de fanes de radis émincées 

65 g de fromage de chèvre coupé en cubes 

1 œuf 

125 g de farine 

12 cl de lait végétal

1 cuillère à soupe d’huile d’olive

1/2 cuillère à café de bicarbonate de soude

Quelques graines de tournesol et de pavot 

Sel et poivre

1. Dans un saladier, mélangez la farine, le bicarbonate, l’œuf, le lait et l’huile, puis, salez et poivrez votre préparation
2. Ajoutez le fromage de chèvre et les fanes de radis et mélangez de nouveau 
3. Beurrez des moules à muffins et versez-y votre pâte
4. Parsemez de graines de tournesol et de pavot et enfournez à 180°C, durant environ 20 minutes
5. Il ne vous reste plus qu’à servir vos muffins, accompagnés d’une salade verte. Bon appétit ! 

Ham Pot Pie - Untested

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/buttermilk-biscuit-ham-potpie/#RecipeCard

3 celery ribs, diced

2 medium onions, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

1/2 fennel bulb, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 carton (32 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups cubed fully cooked ham

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup unsalted butter, cubed

3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Toss celery, onions, carrots and fennel in oil to coat. Spread in a single layer in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Cool. Reduce heat to 350°.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth; add thyme. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add roasted vegetables, ham, tarragon, salt and pepper, cooking until heated through. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish.
3. For biscuits, pulse flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a food processor until blended. Add cubed butter; pulse until butter is the size of peas. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in buttermilk until no flour is visible. Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently 8-10 times. Roll dough into a 13x9-in. rectangle; cut into shapes of your choice.
4. Arrange biscuit pieces, overlapping slightly, over ham mixture. Bake until biscuit topping is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Vegetable Pot Pie - Untested

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/biscuit-vegetable-pot-pie/

2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus extra for hands

1 Tablespoon baking powder (yes, Tablespoon!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (270ml) whole milk, divided

Filling

1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter

1 cup (130g) diced yellow onion (1/2 of a large onion)

1 cup (130g) sliced or diced carrots (1–2 large carrots or a handful of baby carrots)

1 cup (120g) sliced or diced celery (2–3 stalks)

1 cup (120g) roughly chopped mushrooms

3–4 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup (42g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)

2 cups (480ml) vegetable broth

1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk

Options

- 2 cups (about 300g or 10 ounces) mixed vegetables such as frozen peas, frozen or fresh broccoli and/or cauliflower florets

OR 

- 3 small zucchini, sliced (27oz/750g)

-1 small sweet red pepper, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Make the biscuit topping: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl or use a food processor. Add the cold butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or pulse several times in the processor. Cut/pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add 1 cup (240ml) milk (reserve the rest for brushing on dough in step 4), and then stir/pulse until the dough comes together. Dough will be very shaggy and a little wet. If it’s too dry, fold in another Tablespoon of milk. If it’s too wet, fold in another Tablespoon of flour. With generously floured hands, shape biscuit dough into 8 or 9 1-inch-thick discs. The amount of biscuits you need (and their diameter) depends on the size and shape of the baking dish you’re using for the pot pie. Dough is sticky, so keep your hands floured. Biscuits don’t have to be perfect or neat. Place shaped biscuits on a lined plate or baking pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate until ready to use in step 4, or for up to 2 days.
2. Make the filling: Melt the butter in a large skillet, pot, or 11- or 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until vegetables have softened and released some liquid. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and thyme until flour has absorbed all the liquid. Stir in the broth and 1/2 cup (120ml) milk. Cook and simmer for 7–9 minutes or until thickened into a thick soup-like consistency. Stir in the mixed vegetables and parsley, and then remove from heat. Taste and add more salt, pepper, thyme, or parsley if desired. Cool for 5 minutes.
3. As it’s cooling, preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
4. Pour filling into greased 2.5- or 3-quart baking dish, or use a 9-inch pie dish that’s 2 inches deep. Arrange cold biscuits on top, squeezing them in as necessary to fit. Brush the tops of the biscuits with remaining 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, and then, keeping the pot pie in the oven, turn oven up to 425°F (218°C) and bake for 5–6 more minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown on top.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat as desired. 

Chocolate Caramel Tart - Untested

https://thescranline.com/how-to-make-a-chocolate-short-crust-pastry-shell/#recipe

https://thescranline.com/baked-chocolate-caramel-tart/#recipe

Chocolate Short Crust Pastry Shell

200g flour, plain flour

40 g Dutch processed cocoa powder

50 g powdered sugar, icing sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

110 g butter, cold and cubed

1 large egg, 55g, whisked

1. Line the bottom of your 10-inch tart tin with removable bottom with parchment paper.
2. Thoroughly combine the flour, powdered sugar and salt to a large bowl.
3. Pinch or rub in the butter until it is like coarse sand. Add the whisked egg and vanilla extract.
4. Mix in until the dough begins to clump together, then gently press into a ball to chill. Turn it out onto a floured surface and form into a rough disc shape. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
5. On a lightly floured surface, slowly and gently roll the disc out to 14" wide.
6. The dough will be very fragile. If cracks appear pinch them together and continue rolling.
7. Carefully place the dough in the tart tin. Avoid stretching the dough, otherwise it may shrink in the baking.
8. Poke holes in the bottom with a fork.
9. Chill the dough again for about an hour before blind baking.
10. Preheat the oven to 350F.
11. Blind bake your pie shell lined with parchment paper and pie weights.
12. Remove the pie weights and bake for a final 15 minutes. Once baked, allow to let it cool before adding the filling. A warm shell filled when still warm can cause it to go soggy.

Baked Caramel Filling

125 g butter

70 g brown sugar

55 g golden syrup, or honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

395 g sweetened condensed milk, see notes

Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Over medium heat melt butter, sugar, and syrup/honey and heat until it begins to bubble around the sides. 
3. Add the condensed milk and continuously stir until the mixture begins to bubble again. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. It will darken slightly in color. 
4. Take off the heat and add the vanilla and salt and stir until combined.
5. Pour into the cooled blind baked tart shell. Bake for 8 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool to room temperature.

Chocolate Ganache

420 g chocolate (70%)

3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream

2 Tbsps. (28gr) butter

1 Tbsps. brandy (optional)

1. Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. 
2. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, then pour the boiling cream over the chocolate. 
3. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. 
4. Stir until smooth.
5. While still hot and flowing, pour on top of the cooled and set caramel. 
6. Place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. 
7. Optional: sprinkle with sea salt flakes once the chocolate is fully set. Slice and serve!

Peach Pie - Test 1

https://www.750g.com/gratin-de-peches-r41892.htm

1 - I made this with two significant errors. First, the quantity listed is for 4, not 6 ramekins. Secondly, I omitted the instructions for the crème fraîche therefore didn't put any in. Therefore, I have not really made this recipe and it will remain 'untested'. However, without the cream it was kind of dull, but would make a great pastry filling, like for a Danish or some such.

2 - Thought this might be better as a pie filling. I made it as per the recipe, using heavy cream instead of crème fraîche and it was delicious! It totally needs a pie filling.

3 peaches, medium slice

70g of sugar

3 egg yolks

4 Tbsps. (70g) thick crème fraîche 

Brown sugar for dusting

1. Prepare a sweet pie dough and blind bake. Allow the baked crust to cool completely before continuing to avoid a soggy crust.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 400°F
3. Arrange the peaches equally in 4 ramekins. 
4. Beat the egg yolk with the sugar, crème fraîche and the vanilla.
5. Divide equally among the ramekins and dust with the brown sugar.
6. Arrange the peaches in the bottom of the cooled crust. Pour the custard over the peaches so that they all get touched by the liquid.
7. Dust the surface with the brown sugar.
8. Bake in the hot oven for 25 minutes.

Herbed Biscuits - Testing

1 - I think this makes 10 scones of 1/2 cup of dough each. I think these would be best with just herbs and keeping it simple.

2 - I made 12 scones of just under 100gr which worked out well. I used 1 Tbsp of fresh minced thyme, and I think I can bump that up to 2 Tbsps.

4 cups, 3 Tbsps. (510g) flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

¾ tsp baking soda

1½ tsp salt

1 Tbsp, 1½ tsps. sugar

½ cup butter (4oz/114gr) 

2 cups buttermilk

OPTIONAL - add herbs, cheese, olives, sundried tomatoes, etc.

1. Mix together all the dry ingredients.
2. Pinch in the butter until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand.
3. Just until it's combined, mix in the buttermilk. Too much mixing will make the crumb too tough.
4. Measure out 95gr of batter for each biscuit and place on a cookie sheet 2" apart.
5. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes or until golden on top.

Parched Chickpeas - Testing

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/crispy-curry-roasted-chickpeas-56389735

In my youth I participated in Canada World Youth in a exchange to Nepal, which remains one of the most formative experiences of my life (even after all these decades). I remember very fondly the parched pulses and grains my host family would make for tiffin (snacktime?). This recipe I think is how to make it with chickpeas.

1 - Very good! I put them in for 37 minutes at 430F (don't ask, I just make weird decisions like this sometimes) and I think they may be too dried out and hard. Some are pretty dark.

2 - I cooked chickpeas in the slow cooker to get them really nice and soft before roasting. The texture is very different, much softer so that I don't worry I'm going to crack a tooth! and I still have to figure out how to prevent some of them from over roasting.

2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one 15oz can), drained, rinsed, patted dry

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp curry powder

½ tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 
2. Toss chickpeas with oil, curry powder, and salt on a rimmed baking sheet until coated. 
3. Spread in an even layer and bake until crisp and golden brown, 35-40 minutes, mixing every 10 minutes.

Christmas Duck - Test 1

https://www.gastrosenses.com/blog/crispy-whole-roast-duck/

http://www.inerikaskitchen.com/2010/12/roast-duck-with-quince-glaze.html

1 - The recipe link containing the quince has a very different and interesting way of cooking the duck. To try? However, the way written below worked very well indeed. I put the duck up on a rack over the roasting pan which was a very good idea because the amount of fat rendered just from roasting was phenomenal. For the quince paste, I slathered it into the cut marks in the skin, which were already crisping and pulling away. Most of the fat has rendered away and the skin was very crispy and flavorful from the spices and quince paste.

1 duck, 5-6 lbs

1 small onion

1 small apple

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

salt and pepper

3 Tbsp quince jam or preserves (plum or apricot would work nicely, too)

1. Completely defrost the duck in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, if using frozen. Once defrosted, rinse and pat dry. For best results, let the duck sit uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. This will help to dry and crisp the skin.
2. Use a sharp knife to score the skin on the duck's breast in a diamond pattern, trying to cut only the skin without reaching the breast meat below. Cut off excess fat (save all of this) and poke the bird all over with a knife. Only prick the skin, don't hit the meat.
3. Season the duck all over with salt, including the cavity. Stuff the cavity with garlic, onion, apple. Use 2-3 toothpicks to sew the skin around the cavity opening tightly together, to keep the inside moist during roasting. Cross the legs and tie them together with a cooking twine. Fold the wings under the duck.
4. Season the skin with salt, pepper and the spices.
5. Place the bird on the rack inside the roasting pan and cook at 350 F for 1 hour, breast side up. Remove the bird and prick the skin all over again. Flip the duck breast side down and roast for 30 minutes more.
6. Pull the duck out of the oven briefly and spread the quince jam over the breast side of the duck. Baste it a bit with the fat in the pan, then slide it back into the oven to finish roasting. Cook another 15 minutes. Take out of the oven again, increase the temperature to 400F and poke again all over before reintroducing in the oven and baking it for 15 minutes, breast side up. The meat is cooked when internal temperature of the breast is 165F.

NOTE: Do not let anyone throw away the duck bones or skin. After everyone is done eating, take all the scraps, plus whatever's left in the roasting pan, and put it all back in the pot of water in which the duck was boiled. Bring the pot back up to a simmer and let it go an hour or more. You will end up with a rich broth, which you'll strain and cool overnight uncovered. The duck fat will rise to the top. Use the broth for soup or cooking rice. Save the duck fat and use it for frying potatoes. You'll thank me.

Pizza with Hummus - Testing

https://veganheaven.org/recipe/hummus-pizza-with-veggies/#recipe

1 - The pizza I made had more than 4 servings. Generally, I feel like the quantity of toppings was fine, but not the amount of hummus - it sort of dried up and disappeared on the pizza, so I had more on the side to add on top, which worked fine. So that might be the right thing to do, but I was to try doubling the amount of hummus. Oh and I didn't have mushrooms and didn't substitute.

2 - Using this dough, I make 2 pizzas to fit the pizza scoop thing. So that means I split all the ingredients listed. And they should go on in the order indicated. But a fun meal to make and to have.

4 servings

40 minutes (if everything is prepared)

Pizza Dough

1 cup Hummus

16-20 (320 to 400g/12 to 14oz) mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, cut into rings

1 cup black olives

1 cup artichoke hearts in oil, roughly chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

4 tsps. dried oregano

red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

2 handfuls fresh spinach (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F.
2. Evenly spread the pizzas with the hummus and top with the pizza toppings. 
3. Sprinkle with the oregano and red pepper flakes. 
4. Reduce the temperature to 425°F and bake for about 20 minutes or until the toppings are bubbling and starting to brown.
5. Let cool on rack or perforated pizza pan.

Der gefuellte schweinebauch (stuffed pork belly)

https://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Der+gefuellte+schweinebauch+%28stuffed+pork+bel

4 Servings

1kg pork belly (raw, not too fatty) ( a generous 2 lbs)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 rutabaga
1 onion
5 cloves garlic
Stuffing:
100g plain breadcrumbs (3 1/2 oz)
1 bunch parsley
100g smoked ham, diced (3 1/2 oz)
100g ground pork (3 1/2 oz)
1 pinch sugar
1 Tbsp marjoram
1 onion, finely chopped, and sauteed till transparent
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut a pocket into the pork belly, and lightly season the inside.
2. Combine the stuffing ingredients and mix well. Stuff the pork belly with this mixture, then sew the opening shut with cooking twine.
3. Score the fatty rind with a knife. Rub the pork belly all around with seasonings. Roast (what? In the oven? What temp???) along with the sliced turnip, until crispy.
4. The meat will have to be turned and basted several times.

Surbraten (Corned Pork) - Untested

https://recipeland.com/recipe/v/surbraten-corned-pork-18089

Serves 4

2½ lbs (1 kg), pork

2 onions, finely chopped

10 juniper berries, crushed

1 large garlic cloves, chopped

For the brine

4¼ cups (1L) water

2 Tbsps salt (or to taste)

Optional, as much salt peter as fits on the tip of a knife

1. Rub the meat with the chopped onion, garlic and juniper berries, then push into a [tight-fitting] container and pour the cold brine (that has previously been brought to a boil and then let cool again), with or without saltpeter, over the meat.
2. Press down with a board and weight it with a rock.
3. The meat has to remain in the brine for three weeks, during which time it must be turned frequently.
4. At the end of the three weeks, remove the meat from the crock, briefly rinse it off.
5. Roast at 390 degrees F in hot lard, along with the chopped onion, garlic and yellow turnip, until crispy, about 1½ hours.

Grosses Meringues aux Noisettes (Hazelnut Meringues) - Untested

From Madeleine Kamman's "Savoie: the Land, People, and Food of the French Alps" pg 392

6 egg whites

pinch of salt

1/3 cup confectioner's sugar

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup peeled, toasted hazelnuts, halved

2 cups heavy cream

Hazelnut liqueur of your choice, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and roast the hazelnuts for about 15 minutes. Once completely cooled, rub the skins off and crack in half. Set aside.
2. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks with the salt.
3. Gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar until the whites form stiff peaks. 
4. Fold in the granulated sugar and the hazelnuts.
5. Preheat the oven to 175F.
6. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
7. Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions.
8. With the help of 2 large spoons, shape the meringues and deposit them on the parchment.
9. Let them dry in the heated oven for about 4 hours. When done they should be ivory coloured.
10. Allow to cool completely.
11. Once the meringues are perfectly cooled, beat the cream to nearly stiff peaks. 
12. Add the liqueur to taste and finish beating until stiff.
13. Cut each meringue open through its center and pipe the cream into the opening. 

Very sweet.

Tarte aux croquemolles (Hazelnut Tart) - Untested

From Madeleine Kamman's "Savoie: the Land, People, and Food of the French Alps" pg 370

0 - I've re-interpreted the pastry recipe but have yet to try it. If it flops, I should go back to the original and reassess.

This is a make-ahead dessert, which needs to rest for 2 days before eating.

For the Pastry

6oz butter + 1 Tbsp

3 Tbsps sugar

Pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1/3 cup finely ground hazelnuts

1 cup flour

For the Filling

4 Tbsps (56gr) butter, room temperature (soft)

1/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup finely ground hazelnuts

1 egg

2/3 cup raspberry jam

For the Topping

3 egg whites

pinch of salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup finely ground hazelnuts

For the Pastry

1. Cream the butter until light and fluffy, then beat in the sugar, salt, vanilla and the egg.
2. In short quick bursts, beat in the hazelnut flour just until combined.
3. By hand with a rubber spatula gently fold in the flour until uniform.
4. Form into a 2" thick disk and wrap to put in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes to firm up.
5. Roll out to a thickness of about 1/6" and line a pie plate or pastry ring/flan pan with it.

For the Filling

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine everything except for the raspberry jam and beat together until thoroughly combined.

Pour into the pastry shell and even it out.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is set.

Remove from the oven and immediately spread the jam over the filling.

Cool to barely lukewarm.

For the Topping

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Combine the egg whites and salt in a stand mixer and whisk until soft peaks form.

Gradually add the sugar while whisking until stiff peaks form.

With a spatula gently fold in the hazelnut powder. 

Spread over the jam in an even layer well anchored to the edge of the tart.

Bake in a 325F oven for about 20 minutes or until the meringue is nice and crusty.

Serve on the second day after baking.

Berry Crumble - Testing

https://www.momontimeout.com/berry-crumble-recipe/

We recently view the Poirot episode of Four and Twenty Blackbirds and they talked about a blackberry crumble. It just so happens that we have loads of frozen blackberries I've been wanting to get at, and was inspired!

1 - This was very tasty and also needs a little adjusting. There seems to be no good reason to use cold butter, so I will try with melted. Also, I can see the value of the arrowroot flour, but there may have been too much of it.

2 - I decided to simplify this and just used flour instead of arrowroot or corn starch to thicken the filling. It's a great last-minute dessert and I really like the cruchiness of the topping. I do wonder if I could reduce the sugar, but otherwise this is very good as it is.

3 - The thickening agent continues to be a challenge. I used the arrowroot and it congealed in the corners. Was there too much? Did I not spread it evenly enough? I tried using just flour and I don't think it was as good. And I can't remember if I used cornstarch or not.

4 - I keep making this and it's very good. I'm still stuck on the thickening agent. The arrowroot is fine, this time around I only put in 3 Tbsps. and it was good. It's when it bubbles along the edges that the arrowroot turns into weird jujube texture.

5 - Tried to make in ramekins, and note, it went in with mostly frozen berries and came out reduced by half. Do I thaw the filling first, sort of heat it up without actually cooking, then fill the ramekins?

6 - Tried in ramekins again, 150g per ramekin (I had 6 ramekins, divided the amount by 6), and the filling overwhelmed the streusel. So, less filling?

Crumble Filling

6 cups frozen berries (2lbs/680g) (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries)

4 to 5 Tbsps (3Tbsps. arrowroot flour), more if needed (only half if using fresh)

1 Tbsp lemon juice or lime juice

Crumble Topping

1½ (180g) cups flour

¾ cup (156g) brown sugar

⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or Poudre Douce

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup (6oz/169gr) butter, melted 

OPTIONAL ½ cup finely chopped nuts (50g) (such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts or pine nuts)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9" baking dish and set aside.
2. Prepare the Filling 
3. Combine the berries, flour and lemon juice in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Spread evenly into the bottom of the prepared dish.
5. Prepare the Crumble Topping
6. Melt the butter.
7. Combine the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
8. Add the butter and mix together until completely combined.
9. Sprinkle the crumble topping on top of the fruit mixture in the prepared dish and spread evenly.
10. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden. 
11. Let cool for at least 15 minutes to allow the filling to thicken.

270*6 + 247*2

1/2 tsp per ramikin

66g per ramikin (533/8)

Brownies - Testing

https://davidlebovitz.substack.com/p/phils-brownies?fbclid=IwAR1FUzOe97SJAhVI3cH1k-7poOtNIkpdEYX2TldjMtC9vqa7VaFOGMOjogo

1 - A successful first try. I used my metal bread tin and I just don't like that baking dish! The middle of the brownie sank, and I repeatedly get similar results in that pan no matter what I bake in it. I must try this again, but in a different dish, to see if the results change.

3/4 (150g) cup sugar

6 Tbsps (60g) all-purpose flour

5 Tbsps (40g) Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 oz (70g) coarsely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1/4 cup (35g) toasted almonds hazelnuts, whole

5 Tbsps (2 1/2 oz, 70g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 large egg, at room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
2. Butter an 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch (22 x 11cm) loaf pan. Cut a long, narrow strip of parchment paper that will line the bottom of the pan and go up the two smaller sides of the pan, which’ll help you lift the brownies out later.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
4. Stir in the chocolate and nuts, then the cooled melted butter then the egg, mixing just until combined. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. If it’s thick, use a spatula or the back of a soupspoon to even it out.
5. Bake until the center of the cake feels barely set, about 22-25 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. When cool, lift out the brownies using the parchment paper as handles, and cut into bars.

Far breton aux pruneaux - testing

http://www.lesfoodies.com/allegretto/recette/far-breton-au-sarrasin-et-aux-pruneaux

http://www.recettes-bretonnes.fr/gateaux-bretons/recette-far-breton.html

1 - The recipe asked to first mix in the butter in the flour and it just made it all lumpy! I changed the recipe to include the liquid before adding the eggs. This did not turn out well at all. By the time the batter started to bake, the buckwheat separated from the custard. I'm calling this a fail. I will try again with regular wheat flour.

220 g flour, + more for dusting

130 g white sugar

5 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/8 cups of milk 3/4 de litre de lait

20 g butter

500 g prunes

1. Soak the prunes in warm water while preparing the batter.
2. Combine the flour and sugar in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl whisk the egg thoroughly then the vanilla and milk.
4. Add the liquid to the dry and gently combine until it becomes a uniform batter.
5. Allow to rest up to 4 hours (this was for the buckwheat, but I'm thinking of the Jacques and the difference in texture it creates).
6. Before baking, preheat the oven to 350F.
7. Grease a square pan (? or gratin dish or lasagna dish?).
8. Drain the prunes, briefly dry then cover with flour (this is supposed to help them float instead of sink while baking. Testing this little theory - the original source does not soak the prunes, so that might negate the effect.)
9. (OR, only pour in part of the batter, bake for 10 minutes, then add the prunes and cover with the remaining batter).
10. Bake for about an hour, total.