Make it Knock 2

Kali Gandaki River

It's a drizzly day here in Northern Virginia; we're approaching a three day weekend and the traffic reflects the sense of absenteeism. The lack of focus puts my mind into a more relaxed place. It's a pleasant reminder that's it's okay to dream. 

Pun Hill

September marks a month of hustle. On the docket, there's Indianapolis, New York, and Portugal. That's just how the timing worked out but it should be a nice exhaustion filled with new vistas and familiar faces. It's such a blessing to be able to travel and stumble upon inspirations.

As I float on clouds, I thought I'd post another "Make It Knock." It's just a few jams that help me melt into the chair and enjoy a luke-warm cup of coffee. 

Langtang

The incredible photographs in this post are courtesy of a former co-worker, Mark Fabiano, who worked in the Peace Corps during his youth.  He was assigned to Nepal, a country and time that he fell madly in love with. The intent is provide a bit of awe to your daily grind. Thank you for sharing these pictures, Mark. 

The above photograph brings a smile; I love this man's hat and stance. Can you imagine waking up to this view as the norm? It's incredible to peer into another time, another place through someone else's eyes but feel strangely familiar. 

Annapurna

Here are a few tracks that are on the playlist today. I hope that you enjoy! Try listening to the song before watching the music video. It's selfish but I enjoy deciphering what it's about rather than being told. It gives an entirely different quality. Hooray for upcoming holidays and imagination!

1\\ The Cinematic Orchestra- To Build a Home
2\\ Telepopmusik- Brighton Beach
3\\ Blue & Exile- O Heaven
4\\ Laura Reed & Deep Pocket- Happy
5\\ Dudley Perkins- Flowers
6\\ Céu- Grains de Beauté
7\\ Emily King- Down
8\\ Jesee Boykins III- B4 The Night is Thru
9\\ Blue Sky Black Death- Away With Me

Mini Baked Apple Donuts with Maple Glaze

It's a little early for the fall flavors, but I could not resist trying these Baked Apple Donuts from Bakers Royale. They have been on the radar for awhile and I finally caved in when the weather turned unseasonably crisp for a week here in Northern Virginia. We're back to hot and humid in the month of Autumn but that's okay. Fall will be here soon enough!

We love sweet little treats and mini donuts are a household favorite. They're just the right portion size and take the edge off of any sugar craving. Plus, they're simply darling. Half the fun of food is the visual aesthetic and anything teensy is an automatic bonus. 

To help illustrate this point, I have enlisted the help of a friend that I like to call Aslan. For all you other geeks out there, yes- it is in reference to one of my favorite childhood literary series, "The Chronicles of Narnia." He may not look like a lion but he certainly has the spirit of one!

See. This post is getting cuter by the second just having Aslan here. Thanks lil fella!

In the past, I've stuck to cake donuts because they are essentially cupcakes but in donut form. The benefit of this method is it cuts back on the fried factor, avoids an oily mess in the kitchen, takes very little time, and is overall easier. The only deterrent is it does not have the essence of a real donut: warm fluffiness. At the end of the day.. it's a round cupcake. Oh what a wonder it would be to have the best of all worlds... fried fluffy goodness without the oil.

That's where the yeast version of donuts comes into play. No oil and fried food here! They're fluffy, light, and are best served fresh out of the oven. However, as with all breads that involve yeast, it's a waiting game. The dough needs to rise twice and that takes a good 2 hours right there.



Personally, the amount of apple to bread ratio did not justify the time spent making these donuts. I'm so pleased to have satiated my curiosity and they were absolutely yummy. But if I'm going to take the time to make an apple bread, I much rather go with a big ol' serving of apples like in an Apple Braid Bread. That's just me though- I love a lot of fruit in my baked goods.



These mini-donuts incorporate two small apples in the actual batter. Depending on what kind of taste you're going for, add spices accordingly. I added a dash of cinnamon to the batter but I used an alternative glaze. The original version calls for a simple confections glaze with a caramel drizzle. I went for a maple substitute posted below.

Get creative and enjoy!

Mini Baked Apple Donuts with Maple Glaze

For the original recipe with caramel glaze, check out Bakers Royale!

Donut
from Bakers Royale

3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 small apples, skins on or off depending on your preference, diced
3 3/4 cups Gold Medal All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bake sheet with parchment.

Place water, yeast, salt, eggs, sugar, apples, flour, and butter in a bowl, using a spoon or a sturdy spatula fold batter until evenly mixed.

Let the dough rest at room temperature covered, for two hours. Transfer dough to refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip and pipe 3-inch circles on to a parchment lined bake sheet (or alternately pipe into wells of a donut pan).

Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer doughnuts to cooling rack.

Maple Glaze
1/2 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp maple extract
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp melted butter
Dash of salt
1 tbsp brewed coffee (or 1 tbsp milk, if preferred)

Put powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Add maple extract, milk, melted butter, salt, and coffee. If you prefer not to use the coffee, substitute 2 tbsp milk. Stir until the glaze is smooth.

No Bake Chocolate Ganache and Oreo Tartlette

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. It's an arrow straight to the heart- there's no room for imagination. Pause.  This is Bun, the Hus-Bun.  I believe that there are some pictures that you immediately understand; the picture articulates what you feel in that very instant. You could sit in silence and revel in the small chill from the chemical reaction that your body just experienced.

Or, you could jump around for joy and scream, "I WANT."

Now granted, this isn't exactly what I did when Michele showed me this recipe.  On the contrary, I had a more "negative" reaction.  A tart?  An OREO Tart???  What the heck is a "tarlette?" Umm.  Yeah, these additions didn't really vibe well with my high strung Oreo addiction.  You could say I am a purist, and even though she has done a phenomenal job with all of the Oreo creations she has made for me in the past, by words alone, I wasn't too excited about an Oreo tart.  

That is why ladies and gentlemen, she is a great cook and baker, and I draw pretty peekchurs.  She looked at the image and instantly saw its value.  I looked at it and saw Mac and Cheese sprinkled with A1 sauce.  I like these two things, I just didn't think that they would go together.  

Boy oh boy, was I terribly wrong, terribly, terribly wrong.



I crept in the kitchen and was fascinated by the process.  She let me taste the filling; it was at that moment that I realized I was in trouble. I have a horrible sweet tooth and this was the exact right level of sweetness. It was rich in all the right ways. The chocolate filling ("ganache") was strong but not an immediate punch in the mouth. The texture and taste were smooth, not exactly the word I associate with a desert such as this. Plus, if you want to lure adorable feral beasts into your house, make this tart. It had that much magnetism- even Autumn wanted to check it out.  

This tart has shown me one thing:  I still have much to learn about food and its appeal when developing fusion dishes.  However, I am extremely grateful at the fact that I have someone who is willing to teach me.  Someone who is kind and sweet and oh so smooth in the kitchen.  So remember, while looking for recipes out there in the wild west of the internet, keep an open mind. You never know what amazing treats will catch you by surprise.

For this extremely decadent recipe, check out La Receta de La Felicidad. It's quick, easy, and well worth the calories! Just make sure you have some milk on deck!

Beet Raviolis filled with Parmesan and Goat Cheese

Recently, this crazy craving for ravioli seized my soul. You know the universe is having a hiccup when I crave Italian food. It's not that I don't like Mediterranean food, but after working in Italian restaurants from the ages of 15 to 22- one needs a break. A serious break. I avoided Italian cooking for years and it wasn't until the husband dropped, "by the way, I love chicken fettuccine alfredo" did I entertain the idea of making it my own kitchen. 

As with most foreign cuisine, it's extremely difficult to find a restaurant that reflects their true native flavor. The American version of pizza, for example, has a ton more cheese and grease than what you'd find overseas. The Armetta family taught me well as a waitress in their mom and pop style restaurant in Woodbridge, VA. Some of the best flavors were not even on the menu but shared in the back on a slow week day shift.  Customers would come in and challenge the cook with a "real" Italian dish that wasn't on the menu like frutti di mar pizza. No funny business- I've rolled with Sicilians.

After some mediocre raviolis at Carrbbas (no offense- love the grilled chicken), it became clear that matters had to be taken into my own hands. The sheer thought of making pasta dough is exhausting. We don't have a big food processor because our kitchen is already a tight squeeze nor is there a pasta roller. It's fore arms, a rolling pin, and a big, floury mess all over my favorite t-shirt (as demonstrated above). Hence, my dough is rolled out a little too thick. Ah well!

The fates recognized my predicament and sent two gifts: a beautiful recipe from The Italian Dish and a ravioli mold pan (thanks big brother!) for my birthday. Talk about serendipitous. 

This recipe for Beet Raviolis filled with Parmesan and Goat Cheese is fantastic. I was extremely impressed with the unique and creative flavor profile. The dough incorporates three roasted beets that are then pureed to mush. The amount of flour to beet ratio is a bit of a guessing game because there are no approximate measurements; add the flour slowly to the point that it's still just a little sticky. If you're roller is sticking to the dough, rub the roller down with flour- not the actual dough. Too much flour and it will dry it; this had me paranoid at first and I was treating the dough as if it were made of glass. It's pasta- just go to town. The taste of beet is very subtle and it gives raviolis a stunning rustic hue. 

As for the filling, it's a simple combination of cheese, a single egg, and some chives. You can make this filling ahead of time and leave it in the fridge until the time is ready (sans chives, don't let them wilt). Topped with roasted hazelnuts and chives, these raviolis are classy and elegant. I'm head over heals!

For the recipe, check out The Italian Dish's lovely blog! It's full of tempting recipes, culinary insights, and mouth-watering photography! Thanks Elaine for sharing!

Buttermilk Biscuit Sliders with Sriracha Aioli, Scrambled Eggs, and Sauteed Spinach

A few weekends back, our plans to go hiking at Old Rag were rained out. This left our group bright eyed and bushy tailed with no direction. I could almost feel friends peeking out their respective curtains, staring at a cloudy, ominous sky. The texts messages began to fly as we all pondered the same question, "So uh... did you still want to do something today?" Thanks to mother nature, hiking was definitely out of the question. At that hour, the answer was obvious: brunch!

Mayhem broke lose as everyone pounced on their phones and laptops looking for the best spot on short notice. It soon became clear that if you want to go out to brunch in the DMV area- you need reservations. There were too many of us for any of the more popular spots to accommodate. Sure we could make brunch but quite frankly... I wasn't up for serving a pack of hungry homies!

In the end, Nolan found a spot that didn't have a wait nor required a reservation: Pizzeria Orso. A pizza joint- for breakfast? Why the heck not! Apparently this is a practice that they had started only a week prior. Almost everyone ordered from the "Eggs and Such" portion of the menu. You get your choice of egg style, sauce, and toppings. Entrees are brought out on individual wooden cutting boards  (bought one at World Market last night)- a current trend reminiscent of Europe. Overall, the service was great and we enjoyed the food. There was one teensy thing though that bothered me ....the biscuits.

When I think of a biscuit breakfast egg sandwich, the infamous buttermilk biscuit immediately comes to mind. Flaky, buttery, soft, and oh so delicious! They're the golden fluffy highlight of any meal! Orso's version was a little heartier and was more like a tiny loaf  if that makes any sense. They tasted fine but it left me dreaming of Southern style biscuits.

Hence, I was inspired to make our own version of the fancy egg brunch sandwich. The components include home-made buttermilk biscuits (White Lily flour), lightly seasoned scrambled eggs, sriracha aioli, and sauteed spinach. This was my first time using the below listed buttermilk biscuit recipe and it was killer! Mike is a huge biscuit lover and claimed that these are his new favorite. I enjoyed them because the directions are very educational in the art of biscuit making!

These little sandwich made staying in for brunch well worth the effort. Plus, it's not time-consuming to make so you can still take a drive out to get some cafe on a Sunday morning!

Buttermilk Biscuit Sliders with Sriracha Aioli, Scrambled Eggs, and Sauteed Spinach

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
from the above recipe or your own

Sriracha Ailoi
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha

1 teaspoon sesame oil

in a small bowl, combine the above ingredients- done! 

Scrambled Eggs
from the above recipe or your own

Sauteed Spinach

1 cup baby spinach

2 tablespoons beer

2 tablespoons chicken broth

1 tablespoon water

dash of Paprika
dash of Kosher Salt
dash of Garlic Powder
dash of ground Cumin
dash of Chili Powder
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, minced

In small sauce pan, heat the beer, water, chicken broth, spices, and minced Jalapeno pepper to a gentle simmer. Let it look for about 10 minutes on a low heat. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.