The Charmed Kitchen

Spelt Rolls

Spelt flour is one of my favorites for making breads. Whole grain with all the fiber and nutrition of whole wheat flour, but spelt has a softer texture. It is easy to work with and rises light and tender. Spelt also doesn’t require as much kneading as other flours. For this recipe I just divided the dough into 12 pieces for pretty good sized rolls. You could divide the dough into up to 18 pieces if you prefer smaller dinner rolls. If you have family members who aren’t crazy about the heavier texture of whole wheat you might want to give spelt flour a try.

Spelt Dinner Rolls

3 ¼ c. whole spelt flour
1 pkt. Active dry yeast
1 c. water
¼ c. honey
¼ c. oil
1 t. salt
1 egg
Place 2 c. flour, yeast and salt in a medium bowl. Heat together water, honey and oil until warm (120-130 degrees) Add water mixture to spelt mixture and beat on low speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds, or until moistened. Add egg and beat on high 3 minutes. Stir in enough spelt to make a soft dough. Cover bowl with towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Grease a baking sheet and set aside. Use a rubber scraper to transfer dough onto floured surface. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into dinner roll shapes, using extra flour to prevent sticking. Place on baking sheet and cover with a towel. Allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Cover and let rise until doubled, another hour. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or until rolls are light brown on top. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Makes 12 rolls.

Blueberry Cinnamon Scones

I’ve been in a baking mood lately and decided to bake some scones. I found blueberries in the freezer so it just seemed natural to make blueberry scones.  I added some cinnamon to the dough- I love the flavor of blueberry with cinnamon. Really was the right move. They are so good. Tender and just sweet enough. They are great served with butter and jam  or you can use them as the base for shortcakes.

Blueberry Cinnamon Scones 

2 c. flour

3 T. sugar

1 T. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

¾ t. salt

6 T. chilled butter

1 ½ c. blueberries, fresh or frozen- do not thaw berries

1 t. lemon or orange  zest

2 large eggs

1/3 c. heavy cream

Mix dry ingredients together in bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Toss in blueberries and zest. Beat together eggs and cream and stir into flour mixture. Mix very gently to avoid bruising berries. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop out batter and place on baking sheet. Place scoops about an inch apart. Press down slightly. Brush with a little cream and sprinkle with a little extra sugar. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 20-22 minutes. Makes 15-18.

Curried Red Lentil Soup

It was unseasonably chilly and I had a taste for soup. I wanted something quick so I decided to use red lentils. The name is a little misleading. The lentils are more a salmon color than red, and they cook to a pale yellow. They are tasty, no matter the color. They  are smaller than the more common brown lentils and they cook quickly. They are tender in as little as 10 minutes. For this soup, since I wanted to puree them, I let them cook until really tender, about 20 minutes. The soup came out quite nice. I topped it with a little sesame oil and basil, for added flavor. The cashews were just to add some crunch. I sometimes use red lentils when I want to thicken a soup without flour.

Curried Red Lentil Soup

2 t. oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 c. stock- I used chicken, but veggie stock would work
2 c. red lentils
1-2 T. curry powder – add according to your taste
2 t. turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
Sesame oil
Basil, cut into thin strips.
Cashews

Heat oil in stockpot and cook onions until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook another couple of minutes. Add stock and heat to a boil. Rinse lentils and add to the pan. Cook at a simmer, covered, until lentils are soft- about 20 minutes. Add seasonings and adjust to your taste. Puree soup until smooth. Thin soup with additional stock or even water, if needed. Ladle soup into bowls and top each with a drizzle of sesame oil, some basil and a few cashews. Serves 4-6.

Red lentils- before cooking

Lemonade Cookies

These are a perfect summertime cookie. With the sweet tangy flavor of lemonade they are a great addition to any picnic or cookout. They are soft, cake-like cookies with lemonade in the batter. Once baked they are brushed with a little lemonade concentrate and sprinkled with sugar for even more lemon flavor.

Lemonade Cookies

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

2 eggs

1/2 c. lemonade concentrate, plus extra for brushing on cookies*

2 t. lemon zest

3 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

In medium bowl beat together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs and then add the lemonade concentrate and lemon zest. Combine the flour and baking soda and stir into the butter mixture. Chill dough 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease baking sheets. Scoop dough in rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden. Once cookies have cooled brush with a little lemonade concentrate and sprinkle with sugar. Makes about 5 dozen.

* You can make your own lemonade concentrate- here is the recipe.

Homemade Lemonade Concentrate

1 1/3 c. lemon juice- fresh or bottled

1 c. sugar*

lemon zest, optional

Combine ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Freeze until ready to use. Makes a little over 1 1/2 cups. To use: combine three parts water to one part  concentrate.

* You can use honey instead of sugar- but only use 1/2 c. honey as it is much sweeter than sugar.

Alfajores Cookies

If you are looking for a new cookie you might want to try these. Made with cornstarch as a primary ingredient they are very crispy and light. Sandwiched together with dulce de leche they make a wonderful dessert.  These cookies are popular in a number of South American countries and in Spain although the origin is probably from the Middle East.

Alfajores Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. lemon rind, grated

1 1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Cream butter; add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well. Beat in vanilla and lemon rind. Sift together cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt. Add to mixture and mix well. Drop batter by small spoonfuls onto well-buttered baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove immediately. Sandwich the cookies together with (dulce de leche) sweet milk dessert. Makes 40 cookies.

Dulce de Leche (Milk Jam)

This is the easiest way to make Dulce de Leche…the taste is pretty authentic and the work is almost completely eliminated!

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Place the can inside the pot on top of a wire rack. I use a round rack used for cooling cakes. If you don’t have a rack place a towel on the bottom of the pot. Add water to completely cover can, plus 1-2 more inches. Simmer for 4 hours, making sure the can is always completely covered with water…if not…there is an explosion!! Leave the can to cool several hours and only then open it and serve. Serve the golden-brown confection over flan, as a filling for crepes, cakes or just plain. For breakfast you can spread it on croissants, rolls or toast.

Swiss Chard Dumplings

I love Swiss chard and have been enjoying a lot of it lately. It is really abundant this time of year. If you aren’t growing it- you are sure to find it at local farm markets. Swiss chard tastes like beet greens. I wasn’t in the mood to make a soup or just steam it so I decided to use some of my chard to make  little dumplings. When done right they are tender and delicate.  These were like little pillows of flavor. I just served mine tossed in butter and topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese. If you are trying to get your family to eat more greens- try making these. You could also use spinach or other greens in place of the chard, if you prefer. When using greens like kale or collards, cook the greens a few minutes longer to be sure they will be tender.

Swiss Chard Dumplings

1 lb. Swiss chard, stem ends trimmed
1 c. whole milk ricotta
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for sprinkling
¼ c. dried minced onion
1 egg
½ t. coarse salt
¼ t. fresh ground pepper
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
¾ c. flour, plus extra for rolling
Butter
Grated Parmesan cheese
Cut chard leaves from each side of center stem. Cook chard leaves in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain; cool. Squeeze chard leaves until very dry; place in processor. Using on/off turns, finely chop chard. Add ricotta, ½ cup Parmesan, onion, egg, coarse salt, pepper, and nutmeg; process to blend. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Add ¾ cup flour; stir to blend. Cover and refrigerate dough overnight.
Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon some flour onto large plate. Working in batches, drop heaping teaspoonfuls dumpling dough (size of small walnuts) onto plate with flour to form about 36. Using floured hands, gently shape each into 1 1/2-inch-long, 1/2-inch-thick oval. Tap off excess flour; transfer to prepared baking sheet. They can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Bring large wide pot of salted water to boil. Slide dumplings into pot; cook until they float to the top, about 4-5 minutes. They are very tender so remove from water gently. Toss in butter and sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4.

Vanilla-Cinnamon Belgian Waffles

No one ever complains when you make waffles for breakfast. Or if you  make waffles for lunch or dinner, for that matter. But the response is even better when you make Belgian waffles. At least that has been my experience.  My theory is, that because Belgian waffles are bigger, people love them even more.  These waffles are light and rich at the same time. They can be used as a dessert, too. For dessert just top them with ice cream, chocolate sauce or whipped cream – or all three. You can even freeze any extras. Oh, who are we kidding? There aren’t going to be leftovers. But if there were, you could freeze them.

Vanilla- Cinnamon Belgian Waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder                                                                            2 t. cinnamon
2 eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups half and half- or milk
1 cup butter, melted
2 t. vanilla extract

Sliced fresh strawberries, powdered sugar or syrup
In a bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, lightly beat egg yolks. Add milk, butter and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions until golden brown. Serve with strawberries, powdered sugar or syrup. Yield: 10 waffles (about 4-1/2 inches).

Peach and Pomegranate Glazed Chicken

I was having a cookout with friends and wanted a sauce for the chicken. Didn’t want to use the same old  barbecue sauce. I rummaged around the kitchen and found a jar of peach preserves I had made last year. I used that as the base and added a few more ingredients to make the glaze. The original plan was to grill our chicken outside, but a batch of thunderstorms brought the cooking indoors. I ended up baking the chicken in the oven and topping it with this peach and pomegranate glaze. It came out just the way I wanted it- all sticky and golden. I could see using this on other meats- pork and duck both come to mind.

To make the chicken:
Place chicken pieces on a wire rack in a baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove chicken and place in another baking pan. Don’t use the rack this time. Pour glaze over the chicken pieces and return chicken to the oven. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook chicken another 45 minutes to an hour- or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced. Serve chicken on a platter- or even in the baking dish. Place some of the glaze from the pan in a small bowl with a spoon – so guests can add more glaze, if they like.

Peach Pomegranate Glaze

1 c. peach preserves*
½ c. pomegranate molasses**
2 T. maple syrup
1 T. spicy mustard, I used a whole grain mustard
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. hot sauce- or more to taste
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer together for about 10 minutes. Brush on meat while grilling or you can pour some over the meat while baking.
* I used a jar of homemade peach preserves, but apricot preserves would also work.
** Pomegranate molasses might be a hard ingredient for you to find. To make your own- just boil pomegranate juice down until it becomes thick- like maple syrup.