Tag Archives: Recipes

The Classic Waterford Blaa

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Coming from Waterford, in South-East Ireland, there are a few things that are corner stones of my childhood – Waterford Crystal; Hurling and…of course – the blaa. “The what?”, I hear you say. Well, are you sitting comfortably? The blaa is basically a bread roll. But there are a couple of features that set it apart. Roughly square-shaped, liberally dusted with flour, it has a soft chewy texture and pleasing bitter tasting crust that is dear to the heart of Waterford natives. Many a school lunch’s main feature was a buttered blaa with “Red Lead” (pink sliced deli sausage meat) or filled with Tayto crisps. Quintessential Deise fare if ever there was any!

Dating from 17th century, blaas are well ingrained into the history of Waterford. In their original form blaas were thought to be made from the scraps left over from families baking their own bread. The name “Blaa” is thought to have been possibly derived from the old Huguenot word ‘Blaad’ – an old French word for flour, or ‘Blanc,’ – a French word meaning white, which refers to the white floury appearance of the baked blaas. To the best of my knowledge there is yet to be a confirmed origin.

Such is the fame of the humble blaa that in 2013, the Waterford Blaa Bakers Association (yes there is such thing!) succeeded in getting PGI designation for the Waterford Blaa. “PGI”  stands for Protected Geographical Indication, which essentially means that only Blaas made by specialist bakers in Waterford city and county can be called Blaas. This guarantees an authentic heritage product, based on the traditional methods and the unique skills of the bakers- think champagne; Parmigiano-Reggiano and Melton Mowbray pork pies. Basically if you see something called a “Blaa” for sale outside of Waterford? It’s not the real deal. Waterford Blaas are now supplied by traditional family bakers operating since the 1800’s. Sadly these days the family bakers have diminished with but a handful remaining.

Whilst this recipe isn’t PGI approved, it has stood the test of time in my family. Having been passed down through generations (to date I’ve confirmed 3) there apparently has been no tweaks or amends to the original recipe. It remains true with a form that conjures memories of frenzied Saturday morning sibling debates as to whose turn it was to fetch the weekly dozen from the local store. I’ve eaten in some fancy restaurants with both divine and questionable cuisine. However I’ll be perfectly honest and say I have yet to experience anything that makes my heart swell and induce instant comfort like biting into a buttered blaa filled with Tayto cheese & onion crisps. Flour-dusted lips savouring that sweet chew contrasting with crunchy savoriness. Bliss!

Makes 12

Ingredients

  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon fine salt
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup full milk, room temperature
  • 1 1/3 cup warm water
  • Additional 1/2 cup bread flour, or All purpose flour, for dusting

Method

  1. In a pan, combine the milk and butter. Heat gently until the butter is melted. Set aside and leave to cool while you prep the rest of the ingredients, stirring occasionally
  2. Lightly oil a large bowl and set side until needed later
  3. Sift the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. To one side of the bowl add the yeast and to the opposite side add the salt. Add the sugar in the middle
  4. Combine the warm water and milk/ butter mixture and stir well. With the dough hook attachment working on slow speed, slowly add the liquid to the dry ingredients in a steady stream. Continue to add until  50 ml remain. Depending on your kitchen conditions eg temperature and humidity, you may not need to add all the liquid- only add enough liquid for your dough to form a ball, where it cleans the bottom of the bowl. Continue to knead on slow for 7 mins. The dough should come together in a ball that is smooth and elastic to touch, without cracking or breaking
  5. Remove the dough ball from your mixer bowl and place in the preoiled bowl. Cover and set aside to proof in a  warm place for between 50-60 mins until doubled in size
  6. After this time, punch down the risen dough to knock back the air. Gather the dough in to a smooth ball shape, place back in the same prepared bowl and recover for a second proof. This proof won’t take as long, between 30 – 40 mins. DO NOT SKIP this step as it helps to add to the distinctive flavor of the finished blaas
  7. Once the second proofing has been done, remove the dough from the bowl and divide equally into 9 or 12,  depending on how big you want your final blaa to be. An amount of 9 will give a more traditional palm-sized blaa
  8. Roll each of the equally-sized pieces into a smooth ball and place together in a high-sided pan. I tend to use a roasting tray that I have dusted/ dredged with flour. Place the dough balls side by side until you have a “sheet formation”. Ideally they should be spaced so that when they finish rising they touch each other. The “mouths” that are formed from this at the sides of the baked blaa are a distinguishing feature allowing easy opening
  9. Gently press down on the dough balls to slightly flatten them. You dont want to do it hard enough to completely squash them. Just enough to make the more “puck -like” in shape as opposed to a spherical dough ball
  10. Cover the dough balls with oiled clingwrap and allow to rise in a warm place for a further 30-40 minutes
  11. Preheat your oven to 425 F. By this time the balls should have risen and be touching each other
  12. Dust the tops of the blaas liberally with the additional flour and place on the middle shelf. Bake for 20-25 mins. The tops of the blaas should be browned and bases sound hollow when tapped
  13. Remove the baked blaas from the tin and allow to cool before serving
  14. Blaas are best eaten on the day they are baked. If you do have any left the following day you can refresh them by wrapping in foil and baking them at 375F for 10 mins. Overall they will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen when baked. Allow to cool completely, place in an airtight freezer bag and freeze. To use, remove from freezer and allow to come to room temperature before serving

Baking with Ancient Grains

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As seen on CTV’S The Social, February 2024

Cherry Amaranth Bars

Makes 18

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped, or slivered, almonds
  • ½ cup puffed (popped) amaranth
  • ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1cup dried tart cherries
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. Coat 9×9” baking pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray, or line with baking parchment, leaving overhang on all sides
  3. Toast almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds on a rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, for 10–12 minutes. Let cool
  4. Reduce oven temperature to 200°
  5. Process cherries, brown rice syrup, salt, and 2 Tablespoons water in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl add the puffed amaranth and stir in toasted almond mixture.
  6. Press firmly into prepared pan and bake for 20–25 minutes until no longer sticky
  7. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. Remove from the pan and cut into bars
  8. Bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week

Chocolate Peanut Butter Teff Cookies

Makes 12-15 (dependent on cookie scoop size)

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups teff flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 ripe banana (100g peeled), mashed
  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter, or other nut/seed butter
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup unsweetened oat milk
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with baking parchment
  2. Combine the teff flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, whisking together
  3. Add all of the wet ingredients (mashed banana, peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, milk, egg, vanilla extract and almond extract) and mix well until fully combined
  4. Fold in the chocolate chips 
  5. Scoop the mixture using a cookie scoop, spacing evenly on the baking tray
  6. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. This will keep the cookies quite soft – leave in for a few more minutes if you like a crunchier cookie
  7. Remove from the oven and place on a colling rack to cool fully

Mocha Black Bean Brownies

Makes 9 (or 12 bite size)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup very strong brewed coffee
  • 1 cup dried dates, pitted
  • 1 ½ cups low sodium Black Beans, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • ⅔ cup cocoa powder
  • ⅔ cup spelt flour
  • 2 tablespoon ground chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts

Method

  1. In a bowl combine the brewed coffee and the dates, and allow to soak at least 20 minutes
  2. After this time, pour the coffee and dates into a blender, and blend on high until very smooth. Set aside until needed later
  3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
  4. In the same food processor, add black beans, pumpkin puree, vanilla, coffee/ date mixture and maple syrup. Process on high until the mixture is smooth. This may take a few times, scraping down the side and bottom of the processor bowl. You want to make sure there are no large pieces of black beans or bean skin remaining
  5. Combine the cocoa powder, spelt flour, ground chia seeds and baking powder in a separate large bowl and whisk to combine
  6. Add the wet ingredients from the food processor to the bowl of dry ingredients, and stir well to mix
  7. Transfer the mixture to a 9×9 brownie pan, lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the walnuts over the top
  8. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until cracks begin to form on the top, and the edges are visibly cooked.
  9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack
  10. Allow to cool completely before slicing

Sprouted Buckwheat Baked Donuts

Makes 6

Ingredients

Donuts

  • 1 cup dry buckwheat, sprouted*
  • 2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
  • 1 apple, grated
  • 5 medjool dates, soaked and pitted
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon Date Glaze

  • 1 cup medjool dates, soaked and pitted
  • ¼ cup soaking water, approximately
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

Donuts

  1. Preheat your oven to 150°F
  2. Combine everything in a food processor and process until a sticky dough forms
  3. Wet your hands and then split the dough into 6 equal parts
  4. Using your hands, roll each part into a ball and then use your thumbs to make a hole in the centre of each ball. Continuously use your hands to smooth together the dough as you dig a hole in the centre to make a donut shape
  5. Place on an oven-proof, oiled cooling rack and bake in your preheated oven for 3 hours. After this time look for a hard outside and cakey inside, test with a skewer
  6. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool while you make the glaze

Glaze

  1. Place the dates into a food processor and blend to a paste.
    Adding the water depends on how soft and moist the soaked dates are. Add any water until you have a smooth, glaze-like consistency. Scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl between blending
  2. Add in the cinnamon and process sone last time to combine. Check for taste and add kosher salt if neeed
  3. Once the glaze has been prepared, transfer to a bowl. Dip your dounts to glaze or drip the glaze over your donuts with a spoon or piping bag
  4. Serve and enjoy!

Cheese Superball

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Makes 1 large cheese ball

Ingredients

  • 600g cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese blend
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
  • 1 cup finely grated parmesan
  • 1 cup cooked bacon bits
  • 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups sliced pepperoni
  • 1 slice processed cheese

Method

  1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the pepperoni slices and cheese slice, season with salt and pepper and stir together until fully combined
  2. Line a chopping board with cling wrap and turn the cheese misxture out onto it. Using a offset spatula or spoons, smooth and form into an American football shape
  3. Wrap with cling wrap and retin to the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up
  4. After this time, finish the surface all over with a layer of pepperoni slices
  5. Slice the processed cheese slice into strips and arrange in a “football lace” pattern on top of the cheese ball. You won’t need all the processed cheese slice
  6. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavor to develop
  7. Remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving, and serve with crackers, vegetable crudités or pretzels
  8. The cheese ball can be stored in the fridge wrapped in parchment paper and cling wrap for up to 1 week

Pizza Waffle Fries

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Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 bag (540g) waffle fries

Marinara pizza sauce

  • 1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ Tablespoon dried basil
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

To finish

  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup pepperoni slices

Method

  1. Cook the waffle fries in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions

Whilst the waffle fries are cooking prepare the pizza sauce

  1. In a pan combine the marinara pizza sauce ingredients. Stir over a medium heat until well combined. Bring toa boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously
  2. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
  3. After this time remove from the heat and bland using an emulsion blend to an even sauce
  4. Set aside until needed

To finish

  1. In a bowl mix together the cheeses. Set aside until needed
  2. Once the waffle fries have been cooked remove from the oven and set temperature to 400°F
  3. Portion the waffle fries by layering with the fires with marinara pizza sauce and cheese. Finish with a layer of cheese and top with pepperoni slices
  4. Return the pizza waffles fries to the oven to cook for 7-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the pepperoni has “cupped”. *You can also give them some additional time under the broiler for extra finishing

Sugar Cookie Cheese(cake) Ball

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Ingredients

  • 16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 ½ cups sugar cookie mix (dry and heat treated*)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup sugar cookies, crushed
  • Festive sprinkles for decorating

Method

  1. Beat together the softened cream cheese and the softened butter until fully incorporated
  2. Add the cookie mix, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined
  3. Fold in the sugar cookie pieces, and mix until combined
  4. Lay out a piece of cling wrap and scoop the cream cheese mixture onto it
  5. Form a ball, then wrap up the ball in the cling wrap. Use an extra layer of cling wrap to help it keep its shape. (I find a small soup ball helps to act as a mould here)
  6. Freeze for about 2 hours minimum, but preferably overnight
  7. Place the sprinkles in a low shallow baking dish
  8. Take the ball out of the freezer and unwrap. At this point you can use the heat from your hands to smooth out and geta more regular “ball” shape if needed
  9. Roll the ball in the sprinkles making sure you cover as much of it as you can
  10. Place the cheesecake ball on your serving plate and place in the fridge for between 30 minutes to an hour
  11. Serve with additional cookies or graham crackers for scooping
  12. If not serving that day, wrap in new cling wrap and place back in the freezer and then take out an hour before serving to come up to room temperature

*Heat treating the cookie mix

To heat treat the cookie mix, place it in a microwavable bowl and heat in 20 second bursts, stirring well between, until an internal temperature of 165F. Make sure that you stir between bursts to distribute the heat and avoid the mix catching to burn. Allow to cool before using