Chocolate-Raisin-Nut Babka

Doesn’t this Babka look as if it came from a bakery?

It didn’t, of course. You can see from the second photo that it was taken straight from the loaf pan. That paper hanging over on the sides is needed to lift the cake out of the pan, because if you invert the cake (as you do with layer cake layers), all the crumbles fall off. Which, now that I think of it is not so bad because then you can gather them up and eat them in the name of cleaning up, without having to share that delicious delicious part with anyone else.

I’ve made Babka before, but never this good and never one that looked as professional. My Mom, who was a terrific baker, never baked Babka. She always said the one from the bakery near us was so good that she needn’t bother. So of all the wonderful baked goods I learned from her, this wasn’t one.

Our nearby bakeries don’t have great-tasting Babka. But we love this coffee cake so much I have been intent on getting it right, homemade.

After a few tries I did.

It got two thumbs up from everyone, so I’d like to share the recipe:

Chocolate-Raisin-Nut Babka

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup warm whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound chopped semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
• 1 large egg beaten with 2 teaspoons water
• Streusel

Combine the yeast and 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar in a small bowl, pour in the warm milk and mix. Set aside for 5-6 minutes or until foamy. Beat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium for 2-3 minutes or until well combined and smooth. Add 2 cups of flour and the salt and beat them in. Add the yeast mixture and beat it in until the batter is smooth. Gradually add as much of the remaining flour as is necessary to form a soft dough (about 1-3/4 cups). Add the butter one tablespoon at a time, beating each tablespoon in completely. Use a dough hook or knead by hand for a few minutes until the dough is soft and smooth and slightly sticky. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. 

Lightly grease 2 9”x5” loaf pans. Line the pans with parchment paper, leaving enough extra at the short side so that you can lift out the cake when it has finished baking. Cut the dough in half and roll each half out on a floured surface to rectangles 13”x9”. Brush each rectangle with equal amounts of the melted butter. Scatter the chocolate, raisins and nuts, if used, on top, leaving some room around the edges. Roll the dough, jelly roll style. Twist the filled dough 3-4 times and place in the loaf pans. Brush the tops with some of the beaten egg. Sprinkle with Streusel. Let rise for 1-1/2 hours in a warm place (or overnight in the refrigerator).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the Babkas for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan. Lift the cake out using the parchment paper ends.

 Streusel

•  3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Add the butter in chunks and work into the dry ingredients with fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly.

Makes two Babkas

Creamy Rice Pudding with Raisins

On National Raisin Day I can’t think of anything better than Rice Pudding, complete with raisins, and my Mom, who made rice pudding more times than I can count, because she knew how much we all loved it. She had several recipes. Baked and boiled, creamy and custardy, simple and elaborate. This is one of the best.

People have asked me about using skim or low fat milk for this recipe, and about not adding cream. Well, of course you can, but honestly, if you are going to the bother of making rice pudding you should also know it’s not supposed to be a low fat, low calorie item. This pudding is richer, more lavish — and tastes better — when you use whole milk and cream. What you do in your kitchen is up to you, of course. But if it were me (and it has been many times), and I didn’t want all that fat or calories, I would either skip this dish or eat less of it but have it the right way.

I’m just sayin’. 

Creamy Rice Pudding with Raisins

4 cups whole milk (can use 2%)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup long grain rice (not instant or parboiled)

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup cream (can be heavy, whipping, light or half and half)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (not imitation)

Combine the milk, salt and rice in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the raisins and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cream. While the rice is cooking, combine the eggs and sugar in a bowl and beat on medium speed (use a hand mixer) for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale. Pour in the remaining 3/4 cup cream and stir to blend the ingredients. Gradually add some (up to one cup) of the hot rice mixture to the egg mixture (this helps prevent the eggs from curdling), stir and spoon the egg mixture into the saucepan. Stir to blend ingredients and cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Let cool and stir in the vanilla extract. Serve warm or chilled. Makes 8 servings

Liberation of Dachau

picturesofwar:

This day in history:

Dachau concentration camp is liberated from Nazi German control by American soldiers after 12 years of operation.

At least 30,000 prisoners died while being held inside and more than estimated 200,000 people were interned at one point or another within the camp.  Exact figures will never be known.

April 29, 1945 - 67 years ago today.

I visited Dachau last year. Our guide told us it was not a death camp. Imagine that. Sanitizing the facts.

sprinklefingers: Family time

sprinklefingers:

My (extremely trusty) psychologist always tells me that the longest a mixed group of people can last when, say, vacationing in the same house, is 72 hours. Right at the 72 hour mark someone is sure to break. He prescribes long, solitary walks to keep this dreaded 72 hour curse at bay. Or, in my…

Oh, I am so honored by this post!

Borscht with Cumin and Crumbs

Kids are often fussy eaters. So you know you’ve cooked something really good when the little ones like it.

Here’s my grandson sipping up soup. Borscht to be exact. I’ve been experimenting with different versions. A few days ago I posted one for Borscht with Orange and Mint. But this one’s equally delicious. I have to confess the idea for this version came from a sample of Beet Borscht I tasted at Per Se, that fabulous, fabulous food heaven in New York. No, this recipe is not up to Thomas Keller’s restaurant standards.

But it is good and will do! 

Borscht with Cumin and Crumbs

• 3 large or 4-5 medium beets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup cream, coconut milk or soy milk, optional
• 2 slices rye bread with caraway seeds

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Scrub the beets, wrap them in aluminum foil and roast for about an hour, or until the beets are tender. When the beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Chop the beets and set them aside. Reserve any natural liquids that have accumulated. Heat the olive oil and butter in a soup pot or large saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the onion, apple, garlic and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the ingredients have softened. Add the beets (plus any accumulated juices), cumin, salt and pepper and stir. Pour in the water. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Puree the soup with a hand blender or in a food processor or blender. Return the soup to the pan to heat through. For a creamier, thinner soup, add the cream. Toast the bread slices. Chop or hand crumble the bread into the soup as a garnish.

Makes 4-6 servings

How to Peel Broccoli

It’s essential to peel broccoli stems.

I learned that a long time ago when I took Chinese cooking courses at the China Institute in New York (with the great teacher, Florence Lin).

I’d eaten broccoli before that of course, but never peeled. My mother never peeled the stalks. The stuff in the frozen packages wasn’t peeled.

But Ms. Lin showed the class how to do it and it was a revelation. Because broccoli can be as tough as a rubber tire.

But not if you peel it!

Ms. Lin’s broccoli was crispy and tender. And so was mine forever after.

Here’s how to do it. Look at the photos. The first one shows a stalk of broccoli with the florets attached.

Take a small sharp knife and remove the florets. Then cut about an inch off the bottom of the stalk and with that cut begin to peel back the thick outer skin (2nd photo). You will see that it peels back almost all by itself. Then, using the knife, peel back the skin on the other parts of the stem, beginning at the cut end at the bottom (photo 3). Cut the stems into bite size pieces and add them to the cut up florets. You’re now ready to cook. Try the recipe I posted yesterday.

Stirfried Broccoli with Orange and Chili Peppers

Now that election season has officially started, let’s talk about food.

There’s always some food thing to talk about when it comes to politicians. Like Sarah Palin eating deep fried butter or Bill Clinton’s appetite for burgers and fries.

I remember when George H. W. Bush said he didn’t like broccoli. That he never liked broccoli, that his mother made him eat it and that as president of the United States he wasn’t going to eat any more of it.

I bet his mother, or more likely the family cook, cooked the broccoli to death. The way most people, even food professionals, did in the old days (pre-1970s). Look at old cookbooks and you might be surprised to read how long the recipes tell you to cook vegetables.

Poor George HW. He never had really good broccoli. So he will probably never know how good it can be. Like in this recipe:

Stir Fried Broccoli with Orange Peel and Chili Pepper

• 2 large or 3 small stalks broccoli

• 2-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• salt to taste

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

• 2 scallions, chopped

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chili pepper

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh orange peel

• 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil

Clean and cut the broccoli stems and florets into bite size pieces. Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a wok, stir-fry pan or deep saute pan over medium heat. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the salt and orange juice, cover the pan, cook for 2 minutes. Dish out the broccoli and pan juices set aside. Return the pan to the heat. Add the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil. Add the garlic, scallions, ginger, chili peppers and grated orange peel and stir-fry for about one minute. Return the broccoli and any accumulated liquid to the pan and stir-fry for about a minute or until the broccoli is tender and hot. Add the sesame seed oil, stir-fry and dish out to serve.

Makes 4 servings

Pistachio “Persillade”

Again. One more article on the pros and cons of pistachio nuts. This one about a study to determine whether eating pistachios can help you lose weight.

The conclusion — in this study, anyway — is that these nuts do not figure much into your weight. BUT, they are healthy in that they contain the so-called “good” fats, lots of potassium and vitamins E and B6 and have a beneficial impact on your immune system as well as glucose and triglyceride levels.

One of the facts the article pointed out was that pistachios in the shell act as a sort of hindrance to over-eating because it takes so long to open each one and that supposedly cuts down on the amount you eat.

These people haven’t seen me cracking open pistachio nuts.

I am the world’s expert I think, if only because I have loved pistachios for as long as I can remember, even from my kid days when they were dyed red and my hands always looked as if I had just finished a finger painting.

I am the Superman of pistachio nuts. Faster than a speeding bullet. 

I cook with these nuts too. They are so so good on top of fish and lamb. You know those recipes that call for bread crumbs? I often substitute crushed pistachio nuts and that has worked out just fine.

Like here: use this mixture to press onto rack of lamb (this amount will cover 2); or some lamb chops for broiling or onto salmon for roasting or onto tomato halves for roasting.

Pistachio “Persillade”

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts

1/4 cup plain fresh breadcrumbs

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel

1 tablespoon chopped shallot, optional

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Combine the Dijon mustard, pistachio nuts, breadcrumbs, olive oil, parsley, lemon peel, shallot and rosemary or thyme. Mix thoroughly and press onto food before roasting or broiling. Makes about 3/4 cup

Borscht with Orange and Mint

Love soup. Love beets.

So what could be better than beet soup?

I don’t mean the stuff in the big bottles. I have to confess — I have been aware of it all my life but I’ve NEVER actually tasted it. It might be fine. Even good. But I like to cook my own stuff and beet soup is really easy. And tasty. And when it’s homemade I can add all sorts of flavoring.

So yesterday I made beet soup with orange and mint.

It was really good. Here’s the recipe.

Borscht with Orange and Mint

3 large or 4-5 medium beets

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons grated fresh orange peel

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 cups water

1 cup cream, coconut milk or soy milk, optional

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Scrub the beets, wrap them in aluminum foil and roast for about an hour, or until the beets are tender. When the beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Chop the beets and set them aside. Reserve any natural liquids that have accumulated. Heat the olive oil and butter in a soup pot or large saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the onion, apple, garlic and ginger and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the ingredients have softened. Add the beets (plus any accumulated juices), orange peel, mint, salt and pepper and stir. Pour in the water. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Puree the soup with a hand blender or in a food processor or blender. Return the soup to the pan to heat through. For a creamier, thinner soup, add the cream. Makes 4-6 servings

Holocaust Remembrance Day

On Holocaust Remembrance Day: a photo of the crematorium at Dachau, in Germany.

Ed and I toured the camp last year. Our guide kept insisting that Dachau was not a “death” camp. That is, it was not used for extermination purposes, like the camps at Auschwitz or Treblinka.

So you might wonder what these things in the photos were for?