Pickle Dust Snack Mix

Posted on July 3, 2022 by Crumbs In My Beard

This bountiful mix of Umami goodness started as an experiment with my air-fryer. I had previously used said air-fryer to dehydrate pears for cake decorations but…could I use it for something else? To dry ingredients so as to alter them altogether? I’m aware that sounds a LOT more intriguing than the actual result. I mean it’s not like I’m going all Star Trek and altering matter! Using my air fryer I dried pickles to the point where, using a spice grinder I ground them to a powder with the zingy briny flavor of pickles. (Trivia- it remains my most viewed piece of social media with 29.7K views on TikTok, albeit with some questionable comets!)

A point to note on the use of pickles. Using “Bread & Butter” pickles doesn’t work. The sugar content of the slices yields a piece that on dehydration becomes sticky, gummy and more chewy than what is needed. The spears that I used were 1/2 sour and quartered and ended up looking like “the Chocolate Lady from Sponge Bob Squarepants“…or so I’m told!

I digress! Once you have your pickle dust, it along some no fuss ranch dip seasoning become the flavor bombs in this tasty and utterly moreish snack mix. In fact, so easy is it to make that I even roped the kids in to doing it. After much chorusing of, “Not another handful” they eventually managed to combine the ingredients into the savory buttery coated mix you read of now.

Once It’s made and cooled you can store it in a tin at room temperature and it’s good for a couple of weeks. I find this is great for this summer time of year when it can be bagged up for road-trips, picnics, or taking along to BBQs and cookouts. Oh! and also perfection with an ice cold beer.

Ingredients

2 cups Shreddies
2 cups cheerios
2 cups Chex
2 cups mini-pretzels
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon pickle dust*
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pack (1oz) ranch dry seasoning
2 Tablespoons half-sour pickle juice, from the jar
1 Tablespoon white vinegar

Method

Preheat your oven to 300^oF
In a large bowl combine the Shreddies, Cheerios, Chex, mini-pretzels, pecans and peanuts. Give them a good stir to mix up
In a pan, combine the butter, pickle dust, garlic powder, ranch seasoning, pickle juice and vinegar. heat over a medium heat, whisking occasionally until the butter has melted. Continue to heat for another 2 minutes
Remove the butter mixture from the heat and pour over the cereal mix
Using a spoon (or when it’s cooled for a few minutes you can use your hands) mix up to ensure all the cereal is coated and slick with the butter mixture
Transfer the buttered cereal mixture to a large cookie sheet and place in your preheated oven
Bake for between 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cereal starts to lightly brown
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray on a cooling rack
When fully cooled, transfer to an airtight container, or jars, for storage and eventual scoffing!

* I make pickle dust by dehydrating pickles in my air-fryer. For this recipe I dehydrated 2 medium half-sour pickles, cut lengthwise into quarters. Arrange on your system’s drying rack and dry at 150^oF for 6 1/2 hrs. Once they have dried out successfully (they will shrivel up quiet a bit) they will cleanly snap rather than bend. Break them into smaller pieces and using a spice grinder, or coffee grinder, blitz the pickle pieces to a find powder. This will give you 1 tablespoon of pickle dust (powder). Keep in an airtight container until ready to use.

Badami Curry Macarons

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Crumbs In My Beard

MACARONS! The very word alone is enough to induce a nervous twitch in most bakers. These deliciously delicate Franco delights are notoriously tricky to make and master. Requiring high maintenance and careful handling I think of them as the Madonna of the cookie world. However fickle they are, they are NOT impossible to make though. Slow, steady precision is the key here. I’ll be perfectly honest and say this is not recipe to attempt whilst young kids are running around your legs in the kitchen!

There are a few keys things I would advise-

The recipe for the macarons themselves is in metric. A more precise way of measuring this helps with achieving a better result
Let your egg whites “mature” overnight at room temperature. This helps increase their elasticity which yields a better whipped meringue
Sift your almond mix. You want to avoid knobby almond bits!
Add your sugar slowly and in stages
Work out any frustration- make sure you bang them on the counter, and leave to rest afterwards
As disheartening as it may be- if at first you don’t succeed, try again. You’re not the only person who may have a bake fail- macarons have a tricky reputation for a reason. Take courage!

I wanted to create something a little different here – surprise! A few years ago, I had tried a “macaron burger” at a food event. This was exactly as it sounds- a miniature beef patty sandwiched between two macaron shells and finished with a bun-mimicking sprinkle of seeds. Did it work? For me, no. There was something jarring about the chargrilled beef flavour against the sweet almond macaron. It didn’t manage to hit the mark of that pleasing interplay of sweet and savoury.

With this idea as a springboard, I started thinking that the sweet/ savoury interplay was the route I wanted to take. Could I improve on a “macaron burger”? Maybe but I also thought it was visually predictable. What else could work with an almond rich flavour? The next stop on my train of thought was of course…curry. There’s an abundance of curry dishes which use almond as a base in their gravies. And so, development began! Research led to a dish called “Badami Curry”, from Mughlai cuisine of Northern India. Using a creamy almond soup made with finely ground almonds I decided this would be the main inspiration for this macaron recipe. For the filling elements, I wanted to keep flavours that worked with the concept of Badami- a centre of mango & ginger curd nestled inside a rim of rich cardamom buttercream- all ingredients often featured in Mughlai cooking. Topping of with a sprinkling of Nigella seeds gives a pleasing gentle mustardy hit to cut through the almond sweetness.

Please don’t be daunted by these. Yes, they are a project requiring some planning but trust me they are well worth it. You and anyone who tries them will be talking about them for a long time afterwards.

Makes 28 macarons

*For best results start this recipe 2 days before you want to serve the macarons

Badami Macarons #recipe
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Ingredients

Macarons

100g egg whites (usually between 3–4 large egg whites)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
80g fine sugar
1–2 drops yellow gel food
125g ground almonds (make sure it’s made with blanched almonds)
125g powdered sugar
3 teaspoons good quality curry powder

Cardamom Buttercream

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream, or whipping cream, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
salt, to taste

Mango & Ginger Curd

1 cup fresh mango, chopped
1 inch piece fresh ginger
½ cup sugar
2 ½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large whole eggs
2 egg yolks, from large eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed and cold

Decoration to finish

1 Tablespoon Nigella seeds
Gold leaf (optional)

Method

48 HOURS BEFORE

Add egg whites to a dry, clean bowl. Cover with cling wrap and set aside on your counter for 24 hours

To make Mango & Cardamom Curd

Puree the mango pieces and ginger together in a blender
Whisk together the mango/ ginger puree, sugar, lemon juice, eggs, and egg yolks in a heavy based saucepan over low heat. Stir over low-medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and it’s just starting to bubble
Add the cold butter 3-4 pieces at a time, stirring until each addition is melted and incorporated
Turn the heat to low and continue stirring and cooking the mixture for 2-3 minutes until it is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. (Test by drawing a line through the curd on the back of the spoon and the line should not drip)
Pour into a clean bowl. Cover the surface with cling warp to prevent a skin forming and store in the fridge until needed

*This recipe makes more than needed, the curd can be kept in the fridge in and used for a range of things from drizzling over pavlovas, to spreading on toast, to swirling in homemade ice-cream.

To make macarons

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ground almonds, powdered sugar, and curry powder. Pulse 4-5 times making sure that all the ingredients are blitzed. Line your counter with baking paper and using a large sieve, sift the mixture from the food processor to remove any large almond husks pieces, onto the baking paper. You can use a spoon to work through any large lumps as you don’t want to discard a lot of the dry mix because then you won’t have enough dry ingredients in the batter. Transfer this almond mixture to a large dry, clean bowl. Set aside until later
To the bowl of a stand mixer add the eggs whites (prepared from the day before) and cream of tartar. With the whisk attachment fitted. beat together on medium speed until very soft peaks form. Once the egg whites begin leaving tracks, you have soft peaks. Stop beating.
Add about 1/3 of the sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for about 10 seconds, then with the mixer continuing to run, add another 1/3 of the sugar. Beat for 10 seconds, then with the mixer continuing to run, add the remaining sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, slowly and gently fold the food colouring into the egg whites
This is the tricky bit! Slowly fold the beaten egg whites into the almond mixture in 3 separate additions, folding until combined before adding the next addition. After you add all the egg whites, pay very close attention to the consistency of your macaron batter. Continue folding the batter until it thins out into the consistency of a thick syrup. A more helpful cue is the “V-test”. Drop the macaron batter off your spatula back into the bowl. The batter mixture should fall off the spatula in semi-fluid globs, leaving a “V-shaped” trail of batter hanging from the spatula It’s best to go very slow so you don’t accidentally overmix and damage the batter consistency
Spoon the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a medium round piping tip. This may be somewhat messy as the macaron batter is very drippy
Holding the piping bag at a 90-degree angle over the baking sheet, pipe batter in 1.5 – 2 inch rounds about 1-2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. The piped macaron batter flattens out. Bang the pan a couple times on the counter to pop any air bubbles, then use a toothpick to pop any further remaining air bubbles. If using, sprinkle the tops of the flattened macarons with a few Nigella seeds to your liking
Let the piped macarons sit out until they are dry and no longer tacky on top, usually 30-60 minutes dependant on your kitchen humidity. This time allows the top to firm up and form a skin. Do not let them sit out for longer than they need to because they could begin to deflate
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Note: as the macaron shells bake, they should form feet. To test for doneness, lightly touch the top of a macaron your finger. If the macaron seems wobbly, it’s not done and needs another few minutes. If it seems set, remove them from the oven
Let the shells cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling. (The macaron shells may stick to the parchment paper/baking sheet if you try to remove them too early. If this is happening, let them cool on the baking sheet a little longer before removing. Nonetheless I’ve found they sometimes need some gentle persuasion)
While the shells are cooling you can prepare your buttercream filling

To make Cardamom Buttercream

Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature before beginning. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy.
Add powdered sugar, cream, and ground cardamom. Beat on low speed until these ingredients are incorporated, then increase to medium-high speed. At this point, you can add more powdered sugar if the frosting is too thin or a splash of heavy cream if it’s too thick
Add salt to taste. This helps the filling from being overly sweet. Transfer to a piping bag with a small round piping tip. Set aside until needed

To finish

Once your macarons shells have fully cooled, pair up together with those of a same size
Transfer your chilled cured into a piping bag, with no nozzle fitted. Set aside until needed
Using your prepared bagged buttercream, pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge on the flat side of half of the macaron shells. This will form a barrier for your curd filling
Snip the end from your bagged cured (you want an opening about 3-4mm wide), and pipe a dollop of curd into the void inside your buttercream ring
Using another macaron shell of similar size, sandwich together, giving a slight twist to trap the curd and buttercream inside
Repeat until all shells have been filled and paired up. The finished macarons can be further decorated with gold leaf if using
Refrigerate the 24 hours so the macarons and flavours can mature. Bring to room temperature before serving for best taste
Cover leftover macarons and refrigerate for up to 5 days

More ways with Mustard

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Crumbs In My Beard

These recipes began life as part of quest to use locally produced goods in my recipes whilst at the same time peddling for some coverage (I am a “struggling artist” after all!) Using unexpected ingredients in unexpected places is something that I love doing- creating a talking piece as well as something delicious. The recipes here take mustard, an ingredient traditionally confined to the realms of condiment and served in unadulterated accompaniment with (mainly) savoury dishes and use it an ingredient in ways elevated beyond that of a cold cuts sidekick.

From the outset I wanted to include a “sweet” dish or bake in this bunch of recipes. The turnovers drew inspiration from that quintessential combination of pork, apple and mustard. What would happen if I removed the pork element of the dish? A juicy fruit pocket with a comforting earthy taste and slight sweetness. Lightly warm them and you have a great coffee break treat.

My cheese, herb & mustard biscuit recipe is my take on that stalwart recipe of any Canadian baker- the savoury biscuit. The flavour of the mustard adds a depth of flavour so that it’s like sampling the most perfect cheeseboard in each bite. By sheer coincidence (and luck?) they go very well with the last recipe for Dutch Mustard Soup.

This soup is based on a traditional soup from the Netherlands that I came across in the course of researching uses for mustard as an ingredient. Don’t be put off by the name. It is no way pungent or strong flavoured like you might imagine. The dairy elements of the soup give it a mildness and creaminess that help to highlight the mustard seeds flavours, without letting it take over.

Apple & Cranberry Turnovers

Makes 8

Ingredients

2/3 cup dried cranberries
2 Tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apple (peeled) (2-3 apples)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup Maple flavor mustard (I used Kozliks Amazing Maple)
1 lb puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg white
sugar for sprinkling

Method

Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Once melted add apples, sugars and mustard. Fry until apples are softened and other ingredients start to thicken. Remove from heat and cool
Line two baking trays with baking parchment
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
Make an egg wash with one large egg white and 1 tablespoon of water by whisking them together
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one sheet of puff pastry into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into four equal rectangles measuring 5 x 6 -inches each. Place 2-3 Tablespoons of cooled apple filling on one side of the rectangle and brush edges with egg wash. Fold the dough over the filling to make a 5 x 3-inch rectangle. Press to seal the edges and using a fork to crimp and seal the edges. Use a sharp knife to cut a few slits in the top of each hand pie for ventilation
Repeat with the second sheet pf pasty
Brush pies with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar
Place 4 turnovers on each baking tray
Bake for 15 before rotating trays and swapping shelves minutes. Bake for a further or minutes until golden brown and puffed up
Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 20 mins before trying

Cheese, Herb & Mustard Biscuits

Makes 12

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter cubed
1 cup strong cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons mustard (I used Kozliks Balsamic Fig & Date)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Method

Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C)
In bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until in coarse crumbs
In a separate jug whisk together the buttermilk, egg and mustard
Stir into flour mixture with fork to make soft doughWith lightly floured hands, press dough into ball. On lightly floured surface, knead gently to a maximum of 10 times
Pat into 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick round. Using floured 2-1/2-inch (6 cm) round cutter, cut into rounds
Place on lined baking tray and bake in oven until golden, 12 to 15 minutes
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack

Dutch Mustard Soup

Ingredients

4 ounces streaky bacon, chopped
2 TB unsalted butter
2 TB all-purpose flour
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
4 TB coarse grain mustard (I used Kozliks Triple Crunch)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 ounces goat cheese
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Method

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, and cook until the fat is rendered and the pieces are crispy. Once cooked, remove from pan and set aside, and drain pan of all bacon grease
In the same pan, add the butter and the onion. Melt the butter butter and saute the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and coat the onions, stirring until the flour is a cooked, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and mustard, and bring to a boil
Reduce the heat to medium and, using a stick blender, puree until smooth. Add the cream and the cheese and stir constantly until the cheese is melted and well incorporated
Top with a sprinkling of the bacon, and serve

I’d like to state that although these recipes use Kozliks Canadian Mustard, this post was in no way paid for or sponsored by the people at Kozliks.

If you are interested in collaborating with me at Mr. Mom’s on a project, whether it’s food, baking, photography or writing, you can contact me at chef@mrmoms.kitchen

#Recipe Station Cold Brew Coffee Company- Food Collaboration

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Crumbs In My Beard

Before moving to Canada I’d never really heard of cold brew coffee. I guess it was something that maybe slipped under the radar of my London life in the deluge of Hoxton Hipsters, deconstructed menus and “free-from” frenzies. But here in Toronto it’s huge. In fact “huge” is too small a word to relay how prominent it is. Now that the “Unicorn” and “Fraken-Frappe” craze has passed, “Cold Brew Coffee” is THE thing- each and every coffee shop having their own take on it.

I’ve tried (quite) a few and hand on heart, whilst the other one is holding my coffee, the best one I’ve tried is by the team at Station Cold Brew Coffee. Available in a variety of formats from the travel-friendly stubby to their innovative “Nitro Can” to the customisable concentrate (and so much more) there’s something to suit coffee-lovers galore. You can find out more about them here. You can also catch the team on Dragon’s Den airing September 28th at 8.00pm EST/PST on CBC.

I have already mentioned that I think Station Cold Brew Coffee is the best and since I only work with the best, we teamed up to do a collaboration. You’ll find here a collection recipes showcasing their wonderful caffeine-laced beverage. All of the Station Cold Brew Coffee products used here have been supplied by Station Cold Brew Coffee company free of charge and as part of a mutually agreed collaboration project.

Ranging from sweet to savory the recipes feature Station Cold Brew Coffee in unexpected, but always delicious, ways. I do hope you enjoy!

Station BREWnies

A few years ago one of my brownie recipes picked up an Observer Food Monthly award for Best Readers Recipe. The recipe combined chocolate, chilli…oh, and crispy bacon! It’s a pretty good example of my recipe development ethos- think outside the box! This recipe for Station BREWnies is kind of a redux, a 2.0 version combining chocolate, crispy bacon, and this time, coffee. I hope you enjoy!

Makes 9 or 12, dependent on selected baking tin

Ingredients

Brewnies

¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cubed
6 ½ oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1/3 cup Station Cold Brew Concentrate
3 eggs
1 ½ cups packed, golden yellow sugar
2/3 cups all purpose flour
½ cup 100% unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
½ cup pecan pieces

Ganache

2 oz semi-sweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
¼ cup heavy cream

Bacon shards

3 strips of unsmoked bacon (or 4 if making 12 brewnies)
2 tablespoons pecan pieces
2 tablespoons golden yellow sugar
1 tablespoon Station Cold Brew Concentrate

*Equipment note:

This mix will yield 9 Brewnies if made in an 8”x8”x1.5” deep proprietary silicone brownie pan, or 12 brewnies if made in a standard 12”x9”x1”deep baking pan

Method

Preheat your oven to 350F/180C and grease, or line, the baking pan if using. If you are using a proprietary silicone brownie pan there is no need to prep it (see Equipment note above)
Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or bain-marie), stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool
Beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thickened, fluffy and increased in volume
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt
Add the cold brew concentrate to the cooled chocolate/butter mixture, and stir to combine
Fold the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
Sift in the dry ingredients, and fold together.
Fold in the chocolate chips and pecan pieces until well combined.
Pour your mixture into your chosen pan and gently spread to level the surface.
Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 mins if using deeper proprietary brownie pan, or for 20-25 minutes if using shallower baking pan
When done remove from oven and leave to cool completely in the pan before removing or cutting into squares

Bacon (Step 1)

Chop each bacon strip into 3. You should end up with 9 or 12 pieces (depending on your final number of brewnies) and place in a bowl
Add the cold brew concentrate and mix with the bacon pieces. Set aside and leave to soak
Chop the pecan pieces until fine. Add to a bowl with the sugar and mix. Set aside until needed

Ganache

Gently heat the heavy cream in a in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or bain-marie), stirring occasionally. Don’t let it boil- you want it just hot enough to bare putting a finger in. When ready, remove it from the heat, add the chocolate pieces and stir to melt
Continue stirring until the mixture is well combined and glossy. It will look a little separated and mottled at first but if you keep stirring it will come together in a uniform mixture. Set aside to cool and thicken

Bacon (Step 2)

Set your oven to medium high broil
Remove the bacon pieces from the cold brew concentrate and dredge in the pecan/ sugar mixture. Press so the mixture sticks
Place on a foil lined baking tray, top each piece with any additional pecan/ sugar mixture and place until the broiler grill under they start to crisp and bubble. DO NOT leave unattended as they won’t take long and you don’t want them to catch!
Remove when done and leave to cool

To finish

Once all components have cooled you are ready to assemble
Smear the top of each brewnie with some ganache and top with a bacon piece
Serve and enjoy. They go particularly well with an ice-cold Station Cold Brew!

**The “done-ness” of the brewnies can be checked by inserting a skewer, cocktail stick or toothpick into the mixture about 1” from the edge. It should come out with a little mixture/ crumbs attached.

Kickstarter Overnight Oats

We’ve all been there. You’ve hit the snooze button too many times so now you’re rushing around in a manic frenzy. One sock on whilst you jam a slice of toast in your mouth and running out the door is never a good way to start the day! These overnight oats massively cut corners and give you a filling and satisfying breakfast. Combining a hearty helping of oats and fruit with your (much needed) cup of coffee you’ll be making those meetings in no time at all!

Serves 1

Ingredients

¼ cup Quick Oats
½ cup Jumbo Oats
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup Station Cold Brew concentrate
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract
Berries, to taste
Nut and seed mix, to taste

Equipment

1 medium Kilner jar or Mason jar

Method

Place the quick oats and jumbo oats in a Kilner jar or Mason jar and stir to mix
Add in the almond milk, cold brew concentrate, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir well until all ingredients are well mixed
Close the jar and place in the refrigerator overnight or for 7 hours minimum
When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator and stir. Add the berries, nuts and seeds to top
Serve and enjoy a tasty kickstart to your morning routine!

Pork n Beans n Joe

Pork and beans is one of my all time favourite recipes. Comforting, filling and so tasty it begs to be on everyone’s “Know How” list. This recipe came from the mental image of a Wild West campfire. The cowboys surrounding it comparing stories and scars whilst filling their hungry bellies. And what better way to wash it down? A cup of joe!

Dependent on serving portions, usually a good serving of 4

Ingredients

¼ cup shallots, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, minced or chopped finely
4 slices thick cut peameal bacon, or pork loin, chopped into pieces
1 tin (540ml) tin white kidney beans or haricot beans
½ cup tomato sauce (pasatta)
¼ cup molasses
1 tablespoon tomato concentrate
2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
1 tablespoon mustard (I use maple mustard)
½ cup Station Cold Brew concentrate
Salt and Pepper, to season

Method

Preheat your oven to 350F/180C
Lightly fry the garlic and shallots in a tablespoon oil in a skillet.
Add the bacon pieces and continue to fry until browned. Remove from heat and leave to cool until needed
Empty the contents of the beans tin (incl water) into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients
Stir well to combine
Add the bacon/shallots/garlic mixture, season with salt and pepper stir well again
Transfer to complete bean mixture to a baking dish (mine is 9 ½” diameter x 1.5” deep) and place in preheated oven
Bake for 50-60mins, stirring occasionally
The liquid will reduce and the overall mixture thicken. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy! Try topping with cheese shreds, and serving alongside crusty loaf

Earlybird Cinnamon Rolls

Saturday mornings mean cinnamon rolls in my house. I guess you could say it’s become somewhat of a tradition since my family and I moved here to Canada. Mornings (in general!) also mean something else to me – coffee. In the words of wise Chief Hopper (Stranger Things) “Mornings are for coffee and contemplation”. The recipe for these rolls combines my favourite things of a weekend morning- cinnamon rolls slathered in cream cheese frosting and coffee. Definitely cause for contemplation.

Makes 12

Ingredients

Roll dough

3 cups all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons quick rise yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup 2% milk
½ stick unsalted butter
¼ cup Station Cold Brew concentrate
¼ cup olive oil
1 egg
1/8 cup fine sugar

Filling

2 teaspoons fresh cardamom seeds, crushed finely
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
1 cup dark brown sugar

Glaze

1 cup (8 oz block) cream cheese
¼ stick unsalted butter
2 cups icing (confectioners) sugar
3 tablespoons Station Cold Brew Concentrate
Zest 1 orange

Equipment

12”x9”x1”deep baking pan

Method

Gently heat the milk and butter over a medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Remove and leave to cool.
When cooled, add in the cold brew concentrate and olive oil, stir to combine and set aside until needed
In a bowl of a stand mixer (with dough hook attachment in place) combine the flour, yeast (to one side) and salt (to opposite side)
Add the egg and start the mixer on a low setting
Pour the liquid mixture into flour mixture in a steady stream
When all the liquid has been added increase the setting to medium and mix for 8 minutes, until all the mixture comes together into a dough ball and the bowl sides are clean
While the dough is mixing lightly oil a large bowl
After 8 minutes of mixing remove the dough from tip the dough from the mixer bowl into the pre-oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling wrap. Leave to rise until doubled in size
While the dough is rising, make the filling
In a bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, cardamom seeds and cinnamon
Beat (either by hand or electric beater) until fully combined and fluffy. Set aside until needed
When dough has doubled in size, tip out onto a lightly oiled surface
Punch and knead the dough, for about 5 mins, until all the air has been expelled from it (called “Knocking Back”)
Stretch and shape with your hands into a long rectangular shape, approximately 16” x20”
Spread the butter mixture over the dough, covering the entire surface
Starting from the long edge, roll the dough into a tight log shape
Trim off the uneven ends and then slice the remainder into 12 equal slices
Place the roll slices into your prepared tin, cut side up, in a 3 x 4 arrangement
Cover with oiled cling wrap and allow to rise until double in size again, about 45- 60 minutes
Preheat your oven to 350F/180C
Bake the risen roll sin your preheated oven for 25- 30 mins, until golden. (If the rolls start to brown too quickly at the edges, cover with foil and continue to bake until all are baked)
Remove from the oven when baked and set aside to cool while you make the glaze
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine whip the cream cheese and butter until fluffy
Add in the cold brew concentrate, orange zest, 1 cup of icing sugar and whip until well combined
Add in the second cup of icing sugar and whip until smooth and well combined
Spread the cream cheese topping over the warm rolls to your preferred thickness
Serve warm and oozing the topping!

*Breakfast Make Ahead

If you want to start your day in a tasty Station Cold Brew way, these can be made up to step 19. Place the cling wrap covered rolls in the refrigerator and let them have their second rise overnight. In the morning, remove the rolls and allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before final baking. You can also make the cream cheese topping the night before, cover with cling wrap and have it ready for spreading on the baked rolls.

Coffee & Walnut Bundt Cake

Here is a revamp on that classic British baked staple- the Coffee & Walnut cake. I’m sure Mary Berry would spit out her battenburg at the thought of tampering which such a classic (if she were ever to read this?) but irreverence can sometimes taste oh so delicious! Spiking the cake with blackcurrant provides a pleasing tangy contrast to the delicious sponge. The glaze and nuts are just an excuse to add more of that wonderful coffee flavour. If you like Coffee and Walnut cake, I’m sure you’ll love this.

Makes 1 large bundt cake

Ingredients

Bundt Cake

3 ¼ cups cake & pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 sticks butter, softened and cubed
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ Station Cold Brew Concentrate
1 cup walnuts
¾ cup blackcurrant conserve

Syrup

¼ cup Station Cold Brew Concentrate
1/8 cup maple syrup

Glaze

1 cup icing (confectioners) sugar
3 tablespoons Station Cold Brew Concentrate

Candied Walnuts

14 walnut halves, lightly toasted
¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/8 cup Station Cold Brew Concentrate

Equipment

10-Cup bundt cake tin

Method

Bundt Cake

Preheat your oven to 350/180
Prepare your bundt tin by coating either liberally with softened butter and flour, or cake release spray. Ensure every crevice receives ample coating
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for approximately 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Sift into a different bowl. Set aside until needed
In a skillet over a medium height, lightly toast the walnuts. Stir them frequently to make sure they don’t catch and burn. Remove from the heat an skillet, leave to cool for a few minutes, then roughly chop. Set aside until needed
In a jug combine the sour cream, coffee concentrate and vanilla extract. Set aside until needed
Fill a piping bag with the blackcurrant jam. Tie and set aside until needed
After 10 minutes of creaming the butter/sugar, reduce the beater speed to slow and add the eggs one at a time, alternating with 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture
Increase the beater speed to medium and continue to add the flour mixture 2-3 tablespoons at a time, mixing well in between. The mixture will get quite thick and stiff
Once all the flour mixture has been added, add in the liquid coffee mixture, pouring in a steady stream. Continue to mix until well combined
Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the cooled, chopped walnut pieces
Fill the bundt tine with half the cake batter. Using a teaspoon or small spatula knife create a shallow trough in the middle of the batter, all the way around the tin
Pipe the jam into the trough all the way around the tin
Add the remaining cake batter ensuring that the jam ring is completely covered. Gently level the surface of the batter
Bake in the preheated oven for 55 mins. You can test with a skewer but be aware that you may hit the jam ring so some jam may come out on the skewer. You just don’t want any cake batter
When baked remove from oven and set aside to cool on a rack

Syrup

While the baked cake is cooling prepare the syrup. In a jug add the coffee concentrate and maple syrup, and whisk well to combine
After 10 mins of the cake cooling use a skewer or cocktail stick to make random holes over the surface of the cake
Drizzle it over the cake 1 tablespoon at a time until it has all been added
Allow the cake to cool fully

Candied Walnuts

While your cake continues to cool, make the candied walnuts to top the finished cake
In a saucepan add the dark brown sugar, coffee concentrate, walnuts and heat over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved
Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to high and continue to heat for 5-8 minutes – stirring frequently to ensure the walnut laves are coated in the sugar mixture
Remove from the heat and carefully place the mixture on a lined parchment tray. Using the forks separate each of the nuts, allow to cool and set. *Please be extremely careful here as the molten sugar mixture can burn. DO NOT attempt to separate the nuts using your fingers!

To finish the cake

When the cake has fully cooled, invert and remove it from the tin
In a large jug combine the icing (confectioners) sugar and coffee concentrate. Whisk until you have a smooth, viscous liquid.
Drizzle the glaze over the bundt cake in a desired pattern. You can cover the cake surface completely or drizzle in strands. Using a spoon may help you here.
When the glaze has been added, place the candied walnuts on the surface in a pattern to your liking
Serve and enjoy!

*The cold brew coffee concentrate used in the recipes in this post was supplied free of charge by Station Cold Brew Coffee Company.

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#Recipe Sweet ‘n’ Salty Upside Down #Cheesecake

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Crumbs In My Beard

I recently ran a poll on my Twit-stream in connection with #NationalPopcornDay asking for votes for which recipe people would like to see from a selection of three. Each of the recipes used popcorn in an alternative way. Not that there’s anything wrong with just munching on a bag in front of a good movie! But you know me and how I like to mix it up a bit!

Think of this, if you will, as a “deconstructed” cheesecake. Literally flipping everything your familiar with about cheesecake on it’s head. “Salty taste in a cheesecake?”, you say, “That’s a bit unusual”. “The crumb layer is ON TOP!?!…well that’s just crazy!” Welcome to my world.

Sweet ‘n’ Salty Upside Down Cheesecake

Cheesecake

200g Feta Cheesecake

300g Cream Cheese

130ml whipped cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

Caramel sauce

210g of sugar

85g butter

120ml double cream

Crumb topping

14g Sweet and Salty popcorn, crushed

90g digestive biscuit crumb

50g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

To make the cheesecake:

In a stand mixer bowl, beat the feta cheese until smooth.
Add in the cream cheese, half of the whipped cream and the salt, and mix until combined.
Add in the remainder of the whipped cream and mix again until fully combined.

To make the caramel sauce:

In a large saucepan, heat the sugar over a moderate heat. Continue to heat until the sugar turns a deep amber color. DO NOT STIR! If needed you can swirl the pan.
When the deep amber color has been reached add in the butter and stir until melted.
Once the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream. Take extra care here as adding the cream will cause the mixture to foam up and steam. Continue to whisk until the foaming subsides and the sauce is smooth.
Leave to cool fully before proceeding.

To make the crumb topping:

Over a medium heat melt the unsalted butter in a frying pan.
Add in the biscuit crumb and crushed popcorn. Toss to coat in the melted butter.
Mix in the brown sugar and stir to evenly coat.
Continue to stir until the crumb mixture gently browns and caramelises.
Remove the crumb mixture from the pan and allow to cool on a plate or bowl until needed.

To assemble:

In an oblong pie dish, spoon the cheesecake mixture and smooth.
Pour over the caramel sauce and spread to smooth.
Liberally sprinkle over the crumb mixture and lightly press down.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Serve and enjoy!

Crumbs In My Beard

The bearded baker of unexpected flavours

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