Spelt Hamburger Buns and a Juicy Burger Tip

My eldest daughter has been boycotting junk food lately.  (That's anything fast food.)  Good for her.  I need to get myself back into planning ahead gear anyway.  She was so impressed with the elk burgers I put together while visiting her Nana's house last month (my dad is a bow hunter and that is their main source of meat for the year), that she requested hamburgers only if I made them at home.  So I grabbed a pound of grassfed burger at Whole Foods and decided to adapt my favorite burger bun recipe to spelt flour.  They worked great and got the stamp of approval from hubby.  So now I have that option for the future.  A little kamut in the mix helps the elasticity of the dough.  These buns have a tender crumb while still being quite sturdy.  They will hold up to a juicy burger with tons of condiments.  I recommend brushing the tops with butter when they come out of the oven to make them nice and soft.

Spelt Hamburger Buns

Makes 8 buns

¾ cup lukewarm water (potato water if you happen to have some on hand)

2 Tbsp softened butter

1 medium egg
3 cups white spelt flour
½ cup kamut flour
¼ cup sugar
1 ¼ tsp sea salt
1½ tsp dried onion flakes
1 Tbsp Instant Yeast

Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients - by hand, mixer, or bread machine - for about 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Dough will be fairly firm.  Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1½ hours, or until it is doubled in bulk.  Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces.  Shape each piece into a round 1" thick (more or less); flatten to about 3" across.  Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet, cover and let rise for about an hour, until very puffy.  Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden.  Brush with extra butter while still warm for a nice soft crust.  Cool on a rack.  These buns freeze exceptionally well.

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Now for some juicy burger tip(s).  Of course there is nothing quite as flavorful as a burger made with 15-20% fat.  But if you are using a low fat grind such as a 93-98% fat free beef or a buffalo or elk/venison burger, here is something you can do to make them juicier when you grill.  Number one, when shaping the burgers handle the meat as lightly as possible.  Pull the ground meat into bits and toss in the desired seasoning but don't squish and squeeze or over-work the meat or your burger will shrink and be tough.  I like to add a sprinkle of steak seasoning to my burgers and sometimes dried onion flakes.  That's it for seasonings.  The other trick?  Add water.  Yes, water.  For two pounds of ground elk, I added probably more than half a cup.  Lightly toss it in, just like for a pie crust.  For a lowfat beef grind, I might start with 2 tbsp water per pound though I tend to end up using at least ¼ cup.   Then gently form the patties (stick your thumb in the center to leave a dent -  it will help hold the shape) and get yourself to a grill.  ☺  Once at the grill, find a good place for your patties, get them on the heat and walk away for 5 minutes.  Don't fiddle and mash the burgers with a spatula, that pushes any juice and flavor right out and into the coals.  Flip them and walk away again, adjust their location if necessary for even browning.  Try not to keep flipping over and over.  When they are done, they should have that nice lightly caramelized crust and good grill marks.

Happy Spring, go forth and grill!

Dehydrated Apple Chips

One of the special treats the girls get to have when we visit Nana's house, is dehydrated cinnamon apple chips.  There is a lot of time that goes into those, and we have to ration them, or the girls would eat through a day's worth of work in just a few minutes.  They are seriously tasty snacks though.  The most time consuming part of making apple chips is laying them out on the dehydrator sheets.  Other than that, it is mostly drying time.  So after our last trip to Nana's house I decided to get a bunch of extra apples and make some for the girls at home.  I took a chance and did them slightly differently than Nana.  At first, the reaction was, "Um, these aren't quite like Nana's apple chips."  By the end of the day though, they were just as awesome in their own way.  Now the girls say, "We love Nana's and we love yours too."  ☺  It's a matter of personal taste how thin or crispy you like your apple chips.  I like mine thin and crispy/chewy.  R prefers her a bit thicker and chewier.  Hubby gave two thumbs up on these as well, bonus!  Now I just need to add a few more trays to my dehydrator so I can do more at a time.  I set my mandoline at 1/8" and got slices a tiny bit thinner than that.  At that setting, three apples pretty much filled the five trays on my circular dehydrator.  I might go to 3/16" next time for half the slices.  I do recommend using the mesh sheets for that particular machine because the food removal is much easier.  Otherwise, remove while still slightly warm or heat back up for five minutes to avoid breaking the chips.  I really love this version of dehydrated apple chips because the simple syrup helps them keep their shape and color and also helps them get crispy if you want.  It adds just a tiny bit of sweet tart flavor while really adding hardly any sugar.

(But these are as good as adding candy to a lunchbox as far as my kids are concerned.)

Apple and Cinnamon Apple Chips in the Dehydrator

3-4 apples, washed well (I used organic Galas)
1¾ cups evaporated cane sugar
2 cups water
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp powdered sugar (optional)

In a 2Qt or larger saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar, water and lemon juice together just until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and set this simple syrup aside while you slice the apples.  Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, cut the apples into thin slices between 1/8" and ¼" thick.

As you finish each apple, place the slices in the syrup and submerge.  Let the slices soak for an hour or so.

Drain the slices in a colander and set it over the pot to drip dry while you arrange the slices on the dehydrator trays.  (You may save the syrup in the refrigerator for more batches later that day or the next day.)  Once the slices are laid out, you may sift plain cinnamon, or a mixture of cinnamon and powdered sugar over them for cinnamon apple chips.  

Or leave them plain as desired.

Set the dehydrator for 135-145º and run for 3-4 hours or as long as overnight for thicker slices.  Test occasionally to see how crispy the chips are becoming.  Remember that the finished product will be crispier once it cools than when it is still warm in the dehydrator.  The chips I made ranged from chewy to just slightly crispy for the 1/8" setting on my mandoline.

They will keep for months in an airtight container but will never last that long.  I suggest hiding them in the freezer for longer storage or just to protect your efforts from being demolished in 5 minutes.

For other great lunchbox or just plain good ideas, check out Allergy Friendly Lunchbox Love.

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Pie

This is a repeat request dessert for spring and summer get togethers.  When I asked what I should bring to an Easter gathering with friends, aside from the obligatory Lemon Chiffon and Black Bottom Pies, this frosty treat was instantly remembered and requested by one of the young ladies in the host family.  I love it because it is very easy and better still, a make ahead dessert.  Great for hot spring and summer days.  (The recipe can be halved for a regular pie dish sized dessert.)

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade Pie
Makes 18-24 servings

Crust:

1½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup evaporated cane sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

Filling:

1 Qt fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled (frozen have better flavor out of season)

½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened (I use the Breyer's Natural Vanilla as one of the few without corn syrup)

1 cup lemon juice (fresh preferred)

¾ cup honey

1 tsp lemon zest (if you didn't have fresh lemons, don't worry about it)

1- 1½ cups heavy cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar 

Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl.  Pour the melted butter evenly over the top and mix together thoroughly.   Press the mixture into a 10" (That's TEN inch) springform pan lined with parchment on the bottom.  Bake at 375º for about 7 minutes.  Remove, cool and set aside to fill later.

Blend the lemon juice and honey together in a blender.  Then puree the strawberries (slightly thawed if using frozen) into the mixture.  Put the softened ice cream in a large bowl or stand mixer and mix until soft serve consistency.  Add the puree and lemon zest.  Mix on low speed or fold by hand until the two mixtures are blended.  Set the mixture in the freezer for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.  When the frozen mixture has thickened up a little, fold into the whipped cream.  Use the larger amount of cream for a slightly less tart dessert.  Scrape the filling into the springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or rubber scraper.  Any extra filling can be frozen in a dixie or custard cup for a little treat.  Find a flat place in the freezer and chill until solid.  Wrap in plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for up to two months.  Remove from freezer 5 minutes before serving and remove sides of pan.  Cut with a sharp knife in fairly thin slices.  If serving among other dessert options, take out only one quarter of the pie at a time so the rest doesn't melt while waiting.  Top with extra whipped cream if desired.

Chocolate Peppermint Meringues

Meringues are so quick and easy to make, though not so quick to bake.  I think the swirl is what makes these one of the girls' favorite cookies to whip up, but you can always just drop them by spoonfuls onto your baking sheet too.  I've been saving my egg whites in the freezer for a while; I have enough for an angel cake and then some.  So when the girls started making cookie noises I was able to pull out a partial container to make these in a jiffy.  Well, they did have to thaw first so semi-jiffy.  Previously the girls have wanted them pink with sprinkles, but this time I decided on peppermint with chocolate.  Good choice.  The chocolate helps offset the pure sugar sweetness of the meringues.  And the peppermint is pretty subtle too, it's not like eating a candy cane.  Meringues are great for holding any flavor you choose.  I think almond meringues dipped in chocolate would be awesome!

Peppermint Meringues with Chocolate Sprinkles

makes 36 to 40 puffs

4 egg whites

1 cup sugar

½ tsp cream of tartar

½ tsp peppermint extract

Chocolate sprinkles

Preheat oven to 200ºF and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Process the sugar in a food processor or in batches in a spice/coffee grinder until superfine and powdery.  In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Mix in the cream of tartar.  Start adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time and continue beating until the mixture does not feel gritty between your fingers and holds very stiff peaks.  Mix in the peppermint extract.  Spoon the mixture into a gallon Ziploc bag with a large star tip fitted at the end.  You can also just snip off a corner for piping if you don't have pastry tips.  Pipe the meringue in swirls or mounds on the parchment covered baking sheets.  Top with chocolate sprinkles.  Bake the cookies for 90 minutes until pale and fairly crisp.  Turn off the oven and leave for another 10-15 minutes, then prop the door open a crack and leave to finish drying for another few hours.  Avoid the temptation to get into them right away as they will be slightly chewy in the center.  Once they are completely cool and dry, they will be melt in your mouth crisp all the way through.  Store in an airtight container for up to a few days.

Jeni's Savannah Buttermint Ice Cream

It was such lovely weather for Easter!  We actually made it up to 75º - I don't think we've had such nice weather this weekend for years.  Now we have the garden mostly weeded; the herbs and mint are pruned back and very happy.  I could have taken some of the mint prunings and made some fresh garden mint ice cream.  It is getting closer to ice cream weather on a regular basis.  But one thing I learned in the last side by side taste test:  Savannah Buttermint ice cream wins in our family, hands down.  I highly recommend getting a copy of Jeni's ice cream book, because they turn out amazing! 

And in the case of this particular flavor, Savannah Buttermint Ice Cream, truly A-MAZ-ING.  It's like an ice cream form of those little wedding/party mints or the after dinner butter mints.  Super rich, creamy, toothsome without being gummy, sweet without being cloying, and truly buttery.  Both my Dad and hubby loved it! I am duly impressed with the book.  And the back story of how her scoop shops came about is a great read too.  This is one of those cookbooks you can sit down and have fun reading from cover to cover.
  
One interesting thing is that Jeni talks about the option of tapioca or corn starch and syrup.  She uses tapioca starch and tapioca syrup in her scoop shops.  Since we have a corn allergy, I used the tapioca options as well and found that my mix got very thick.  I mean almost pudding thick.  I believe this is because tapioca starch thickens quickly and at a relatively low temperature.  The directions are written for corn starch and syrup since most people will be using that option.  Anyway I thinned it out with a little more cream and it still turned out positively unctuous in the best sense.  Tapioca syrup is not quite as sweet as corn syrup so I imagine it would not alter the flavor as much as corn syrup.  I consider that a bonus as well.  It's one of the reasons these ice creams are so great, the flavors are very pure because they are not custard/egg based mixes.  You may find the cream cheese to be an interesting secret ingredient.  Oh yes, bonus, she includes recipes for mix-ins from buttered nuts, meringues and brittles to lingonberry sauce.

So for a truly rich, butter, minty ice cream experience, try this out.  And then get the book!  (I think I'll make the maple ice cream with salty buttered nuts next...)  Oh, don't be afraid of the turmeric, it's just for color, not flavor.  And I used buttery sweet dough flavor since I had it.  It's still butter flavor.  I'll get the Frontier brand when I run out.

Jeni's Savannah Buttermint Ice Cream
makes about 1 Quart

2 cups whole milk
1 tbsp + 1 tsp corn starch (I suggest using only 1 tbsp tapioca starch to avoid over thickening)
1½ oz (3 tbsp) cream cheese, softened
½ tsp fine sea salt
1/8 tsp turmeric
1¼ cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup (tapioca syrup, or golden syrup if you can't find it)
3 oz white chocolate, chopped
8 drops natural butter flavor (I used buttery sweet dough emulsion)
3-4 drops pure peppermint oil (I recommend 4)

Mix the starch into about 2 tbsp of the milk in a small bowl.  In a medium bowl whisk the cream cheese, salt and turmeric until smooth.  Set aside a large bowl filled with water and ice to cool the cooked mix.

Combine the rest of the milk, cream sugar and tapioca syrup in a 4 Qt saucepan.  Bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat.  Boil for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in the starch slurry.  Bring back to a boil and cook and stir until slightly thickened.  Less than a minute.  Remove from heat.

Slowly whisk the hot milk mix into the cream cheese until perfectly smooth.  Pour into a gallon ziploc bag and chill in the ice bath until cold.  About 30 minutes.

Just before ready to freeze, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or microwave and cool slightly.  Pour the base mix into the ice cream freezer and turn on the machine.  While the machine is turning, drop in the butter flavor and peppermint oil through the top opening.  Slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate so that it forms flecks in the churning mixture.  Mix and freeze until thick and creamy, then pack into a storage container and seal.  Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Try not to eat the whole thing by yourself!

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Ah, the learning experience from last time was very helpful in getting my rainbow of eggs done.  This time I did it all in one day.  And I cut my dyes down to four items.  I still had some things I learned again.  Like, more is better when it comes to the amount of dyestuff you use.  Well turmeric is pretty potent, but the rest give better colors when very saturated.  I was a bit short on beets this year and really had to work to get my color to set well.

I was happy to be able to try out the onion skin method as well this year.  (I saved my dry onion skins for months!)  Since I was already turning my skins into orange dye, I took the opportunity to simmer some eggs in it at the same time.  I put some leaves on the eggs and twisted them up in stockings and got some really cool marbling and outlines.

(These onion skin eggs were done using light brown farm eggs.)  I think I could have gotten better definition of the leaf patterns if I had tied the stockings tighter with a rubber band.  But I'm still happy with them especially since it was a last second thing.

So here is what I used for my dyes and how I made the eggs.

Red/Pink:  Beets
Orange:  Yellow Onion skins
Yellow:  Turmeric
Green:  Red Cabbage + Turmeric
Blue:  Red Cabbage
Violet:  Red Cabbage + Beets

To make the dyes, use 4 cups of chopped or grated (beets, cabbage, onion skins) with one quart of water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.  Turmeric is 3 tbsp powdered spice per quart.  Bring to a boil, then cover and keep at a hard simmer for 30 minutes.  Strain the dye into a bowl and mix in 1 tablespoon of salt.  Let cool until not steaming, then soak your hard boiled eggs for 30 minutes in the dye.  For all colors except red, rinse and set on a napkin to dry.  The colors will intensify somewhat when dry.  I forgot about that.  I could have taken the orange eggs out at 30 but I gave them another 10-15 minutes.  They turned out pretty intensely orange.  For the red dye, take out the egg on a spoon and set on a napkin to dry.  DO NOT RINSE.  I gave my beet dyed eggs an hour because I didn't have enough beets.  And I re-dipped them a few times.  Last time my beet dyed eggs turned out a vivid dark fuschia.  This time they were more red.

For green I first used a cup of yellow dye and a cup of blue dye.  I decided at 30 minutes that the green was a little yellow and stuck one egg back into some blue for a few minutes.  The egg in back is the yellower one and the front one had the extra blue time.  So maybe 2/3 cup yellow and 1 1/3 cup blue would be better.

For the violet I eyeballed about half blue and half red dye for 30 minutes.

So that is my refined this year's results for natural egg dyes.  Enjoy your Easter!

Mini Zucchini Spice Cupcakes with "Un-canned" Cream Cheese Frosting

Do you decide on the cake or the frosting first?  I found this frosting to try and it turned out so great that I needed to find a more acceptable vehicle to transport it to a mouth than a mere spoon.  At first I decided on a simple spice cake.  I may still do that at some point but spring is looming and my garden gloves are calling me.  So I thought something with zucchini in it would be appropriate to add to the arsenal of ways to use up the bounty of the prolific plant.  I adore zucchini bread but for this occasion I did want something lighter and more cupcake friendly.  These little morsels filled the bill.  And the frosting is delightfully fluffy and silky like a true buttercream.

Update: These freeze amazingly well, just freeze first on a rack or plate, then into a ziploc freezer bag or container.  They thaw to just like fresh in only 20-30 minutes.
 
Mini Zucchini Spice Cupcakes

makes 3 dozen bite sized cupcakes

¼ cup sunflower oil (melted butter or a blend would also be awesome here)

¼ cup orange juice

3 tbsp applesauce

1 large egg

½ cup light brown muscovado sugar

1½ tbsp evaporated cane sugar

½ tsp almond extract

1½ cups light spelt flour (or 1¼ cup all purpose)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp ground cloves

¾ cup finely shredded zucchini (1 small zucchini will yield around a cup)

Preheat oven to 325ºF and line two mini muffin pans with paper liners.  In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, juice, applesauce, egg, sugars and extract until thoroughly mixed.  Combine the dry ingredients and stir into the egg mixture.  Add zucchini and stir well.  Using a tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion batter into pans will yield exactly three dozen mini cupcakes.  If you only have one or two pans, the batter may sit between batches, just don't stir it or the cakes will be slightly smaller.  Bake for 15 minutes or until done.  Cool for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack.  Cool completely before frosting as desired.

Un-canned Cream Cheese Frosting
makes about 2 cups

8 tbsp butter
¼ cup unhydrogenated shortening
2 oz cream cheese
1 tbsp tapioca syrup
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp vanilla
1½ cup confectioner's sugar
½ tsp sea salt
pinch baking powder (finger pinch, NOT 1/8 tsp)
pinch citric acid (finger pinch, NOT 1/8 tsp)

Cream the butter, shortening and cream cheese in a stand mixer for two to three minutes until smooth and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides.  Add the syrups and vanilla and beat for another two to three minutes until silky smooth.

Add the sugar, salt, baking powder and citric acid and combine on low speed until moistened.  Turn the machine up to medium high and beat for four minutes until smooth and glossy, like you would see in a canned frosting.  Scrape down once or twice during mix time.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Adapted from TOH and Kitchen Daily