Recipe Testing: English Muffins

    Today Heather and I decided to test a couple of English Muffin recipes that I have been developing.  We have picked are favorite one and we are thrilled to be able to bring this with us to the cafes in Central Asia.  It is such a versatile item that we will be able to use on the menu in a variety of ways including the ever popular breakfast sandwich.  Below I have shared my recipe with you so that you can try it at home. It is very easy to prepare at home and the quality is far superior to the English Muffins you find sold by your average grocer.  Please share with us in the comment section below, what is your favorite way to eat an English Muffin?

Ingredients:
2 cups Whole Milk (divided into two parts one part measuring 1.5 cups the other measuring 0.5 cups)
1 TB Sugar
1.5 tsp Salt
3 TB Melted Butter
2.5 tsp Instant Dry Yeast
1 Egg* (see note below)
2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cornmeal for dusting the English Muffins

*The egg in this recipe is optional.  When we tried the recipe with the egg the English Muffins had more structure and a slightly denser more spongy texture which we preferred.

Procedure:
1.  Take the part of milk measuring 0.5 cup and warm it slightly in the microwave for about 10 seconds.  Be careful not to make it too hot as it will kill the power of the yeast.  (it should be just warm) Whisk the warm milk into the yeast in a small bowl and allow it to bloom for 5 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile Stir together the egg, sugar, salt, melted butter, and the rest of the milk.

3.  Once the milk and yeast finish blooming, add them to the other milk mixture.

4.  Stir in the flour and and baking soda and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for 5-10 minutes to develop the gluten.  If you have a kitchen aide or hand mixer you can mix the batter on medium high speed for about 3-5 minutes to develop the gluten.  At this point it will look very much like the consistency of a batter.

5.  Allow the batter to rest and rise for about 45 minutes.  During this time preheat a griddle on the stove or an electric griddle to 300 degrees F.  If you are doing it on the stove, medium low heat works pretty well.

6.  Spray the griddle and your english muffin rings with vegetable spray. (for english muffin rings you can also you pastry ring cutter or even small tuna cans with the top and bottom lids removed. Spread a small amount of your cornmeal on the bottom of the griddle.  Place your rings on the griddle and ladle the batter into them so they are filled about 2/3 of the way to the top. Sprinkle some additional cornmeal on the tops of the muffins.  Cook on each side for 5-6 minutes, flipping them once with a spatula, to achieve a golden brown top and bottom and cooked interior.
* If your muffins start to get golden brown on the exterior and you think they are not yet fully cooked on the inside you can pop them into the oven for a few minutes to finish them off.

10-Grain Cranberry Roll

     Recently when joining a good friend for coffee at Starbucks, Heather fell in love with the 8-grain roll that she sampled.  Upon arriving at home she was inspired to create her own version of the roll that was not only delectable, but also a healthy alternative to most coffee shop food.  She has been working on developing a recipe that we can sell in the cafes in Central Asia.  Her first attempt was a 10-Grain Cranberry Roll.  She was very pleased with the outcome but she plans on continuing to tweak it to perfection.  She found that Bob's Red Mill brand offers products such as 8-grain or 10-grain mixes that provide a wonderful base to create the recipe. These products can generally be found at almost any major grocery store.

If you are interested in receiving her final perfected recipe when she completes it, please comment in the comment box below and she will send it your way!

10-Grain Cranberry Roll

Soft fluffy interior

Bob's Red Mill 10-Grain hot cereal mix

Recipe Testing: Roasted Apple Financier

Today we tested a new idea, Roasted Apple Financier.  This is a brown butter and almond cake layered with slices of roasted apple and topped with almond brittle and brunoised fresh apple.  We know for sure next time we will serve it with some whipped creme fraiche or something similar to a more acidic whipped cream.

Here is the recipe for the Financier (almond brown butter cake)  It is a very versatile cake that can be served with many different things.

Ingredients:

250 grams (8.8 ounces) Brown Butter
100 grams (3.5 ounces) Almond Flour, sifted
100 grams (3.5 ounces) AP Flour, sifted
200 grams (7 ounces) granulated sugar
250 grams (8.8 ounces) egg whites

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the egg whites and sugar and whip until the egg whites are just slightly frothy.
3.  Whisk in the brown butter, followed by the almond flour and AP flour.  Stir just until the mixture is combined taking care not to over mix.
4.  Prepare a half sized sheet tray (or a normal cookie sheet) by lining the bottom with a silpat or with parchment paper.  If using parchment paper make sure to spray the pan liberally with Pam or a similar spray.
5.  Pour the financier batter out into the pan and spread it evenly across the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown and cooked through.

Caramelized Banana Tartlet

Recently we tested out these caramelized banana tartlets for an event we were doing.  They were gone in the blink of an eye and received great reviews!  It is made of phyllo dough, caramel sauce, and caramelized bananas.  Here is our recipe:

Phyllo dough tartlet shells (24 mini tartlets) :

8 oz. (1 roll) frozen phyllo dough

8 oz. unsalted butter, melted

Granulated sugar

1. Thaw out the phyllo dough overnight in the fridge.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Brush 2 mini muffin tins with melted butter.

3. Keep phyllo dough covered as you work with it or it will dry out quickly.

4. Brush butter on one piece of dough. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the butter. Place another sheet over.

5. Repeat this process until you have used 6 sheets. 

6. Use a sharp biscuit cutter to cut circles. Your cutter should be a few inches wider than than the diameter of your muffin cup.

7. Place cut dough circles (6 layers of dough in each circle) in the muffin cups. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

8. Proceed with the caramel sauce recipe.

Caramel Sauce (taken from CIA baking and pastry book)

12 fl oz heavy cream

7 oz sugar

5 oz corn syrup-light

1 oz butter, soft and cubed

1. Place the cream in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Leave over very low heat to keep warm. 

2. Combine sugar and corn syrup in saucepan and slowly cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Brush sides of pan with water to eliminate granules on the sides.

3. Continue to cook the until the sugar is golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in butter. 

4. Stir in hot cream gradually until fully blended. Cool.

Tart assembly

Phyllo tartlet shells

Caramel sauce, cool

2 bananas, sliced 1/2 inche thick

Granulated sugar

1. Toss banana slices in sugar.

2. Place on sheet pan and caramelize. You can use a torch or a broiler, but be careful to avoid burning.

3. Fill tartlet shells up about halfway with caramel sauce. Place one banana slice on the top of each tartlet. 

French Berry Tart

     Today Sam put a fresh twist on a classic French tart.  It is Pate Brisee (tart dough), vanilla pastry cream, and berries glazed with honey, lime, and basil.  The recipe is below so that you can give it a shot!

Recipe:

Tart Assembly-

Pate brisee- 1 10 inch tart shell

Vanilla Pastry Cream- 1.5 pounds

Glazed Berries- 12 oz

1.  Remove tart shell from the tart pan and place it on the dish you want to serve your tart on.

2.  Spoon in the pastry cream and smooth it out until it is level all the way around the tart.

3.  Place the berries in a decorative fashion on the top of the tart.  Garnish the top of the tart and berries with your finely sliced basil. 

Pate brisee (tart dough)

makes a 10 inch tart

Ingredients:

AP Flour- 1lb

Salt- pinch

Butter- 4.5 oz (cubed)

Water- 2 oz

Eggs- 2 oz (1 egg)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. 

2.  Mix Flour and salt together and place on medium speed in a stand mixer.  Slowly add in your cubed butter and run the mixer on medium speed for about 4 minutes until a paste forms  If you do not have a  stand mixer you can do this process with your hand mixer, or with your hands.

3.  Combine the water and the eggs and gradually mix it into the flour/ butter mixture while your mixer is on low speed.  Mix until it begins to form into a shaggy mass.  Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

4.  Place the dough out on a floured surface and press it together.  Depending on the size of your tart pans you can now divide the dough.  I used all of the dough for a 10 inch tart.  Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes more.

5.  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of your tart pan.  Press the rolled out dough into the pan and clean up the edges and pieces that are hanging over the sides.

6.  Dock your dough by poking all around the bottom of the dough with a fork (this will prevent the dough from rising too much when it bakes).  Cover the inside of the dough with a piece of foil that will fit the inside of the tart.  Place a cake pan or pie pan inside the piece of foil (also to keep the dough from rising) and bake for 25 minutes.  

7.  Remove the cake pan and the foil from the top of the tart dough and place it back into the oven until it becomes lightly brown (approx 10 minutes)

Pastry Cream

makes 1.5 pounds which is enough to fill 1 10 inch tart

Ingredients:

Milk- 16 fl oz

Sugar- 4 oz

Butter- 1.5 oz

Salt- pinch

Cornstarch- 1.5 oz

Eggs- 6 oz (approx 3 eggs)

Vanilla extract- 1 TB

Procedure:

1.  Mix 12 oz of milk, 2 oz of sugar, the butter, and the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar.

2.  Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch, with the remaining sugar.  Whisk in the remaining milk.  Add the eggs, and vanilla extract.  Stir vigorously until the mixture is completely smooth.

3.  Temper the egg combination by gradually adding 1/3 of the boiling milk into it, stirring constantly.  Then, gradually whisk the egg mixture into the saucepan with the boiling milk.  From this point on it is very important to whisk constantly.  Cook until the pastry cream comes to a boil, thickening it to the point where the whisk leaves a trail in it.

4.  Pour the pastry cream into a pan and cover it with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate to cool.

Honey Basil Glazed Berries

makes enough to garnish 1 10 inch tart

Ingredients:

Honey- 1/4 cup

Lime Juice- 1TB

Lime Zest- Zest of 1 lime

Basil stems- 10 

Basil Leaves- 4

Berries- 12 oz (I used a six ounce package of raspberries and a six ounce package of blackberries)

1.  Combine everything except for the basil leaves into a small sauté pan and bring to a boil to infuse the flavor from the lime zest and basil stems. allow to cool to room temperature.

2.  Finely slice the basil leaves for a garnish.

3.  Lay out your berries on a plate and brush them with the honey glaze until well coated and shiny.

Baked Alaska

     For Easter dessert this year Heather showed off her whimsical pastry making genius with her baked alaska. This beautiful creation is made with a poppy seed cake, strawberry sorbet, strawberry ice cream, and toasted meringue.

     Wonder how we got such a nice clean slice? The trick is to use a very hot knife. We placed our knife in steaming water, quickly dried it, then cut the baked alaska while the knife was still quite warm. This process produces a shiny beautiful slice. You should place the knife in the hot water after each slice for best results. This technique can be used for any cold or frozen dessert to get the nicest looking portions.

     Want the recipe?  Just ask.

Strawberry Baked Alaska

Toasted Meringue

 

Discipleship in Action

     The Core Event strategy is when a mature believer and a young believer work together to to share Jesus with a non believer. We are excited to hear how this strategy is happening by a few locals in Central Asia. Two local coffee shop workers, “Kristina” and “Evelyne” have been encouraging each other in their faith as Kristina’s disciples the young believer Evelyne. 

     A few months ago, the women worked together to share the good news of Jesus with “Xana”, a non believer who is closely tied to the cafes.  Evelyne learned a lot from how Kristina comfortably wove the topic of Jesus into conversation without intimidating Xana.  It is really exciting to hear how nationals are practicing their faith by the initiation of discipleship and evangelism to non believers on their own. 

Please pray for this Core Event strategy to grow among nationals in the coffee shop and the believing community. Pray that God would soften Xana's heart to receive His grace, and that she would experience the joy of being part of the body of Christ. 

Sunshine Tart

     Today we tested the Sunshine Tart.  It is made with puff pastry, caramel, vanilla cream and orange supremes.  Below are some pictures from our experience as well as a video on how to supreme or segment an orange for desserts just like this one!  If you would like the recipe for this or anything else we post, let us know and we will explain everything in more detail.

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Recipe Testing: Bialy

Today we tested the Bialy.  A Bialy is a dense Jewish bread that is topped with onions and poppy seeds.  We added some fresh springs of dill for additional flavor and presentation.  You will notice that the dough is the same as the bagel recipe but there are modifications in the procedure and toppings.

Ingredients:

Bialy Dough

1 1/2 Cups Warm Water

1 Tbsp. Dry Active Yeast

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tbsp. Melted Butter

2 tsp Malt Syrup (find at specialty grocery stores like whole foods)

2 tsp Salt

4 1/2 cups Unbleached Bread Flour

Topping

3 onions (medium diced)

3 TB olive oil

2 TB poppy seeds

1/4 cup corn meal

T.T. salt

Fresh dill sprigs to garnish

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Mix warm water, yeast, sugar and allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in the melted butter, malt syrup, salt and 1 cup flour.
4. Slowly mix in enough flour to form a stiff bagel dough (reserve the rest of flour if there is any for shaping and kneading the dough, you may need more flour for kneading if there is none left)
5. Knead the dough for 10 minutes.  Set aside in a warm place and cover with plastic wrap or a cloth.  Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, place a saute pan over medium heat adding 1 TB olive oil.  When the pan starts to get hot add your onions in and cook them until they are a caramel brown color.  Stir in the poppy seeds and set the onion poppy seed mixture aside.
7. After the dough has risen for 30 minutes, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.  
8. Shape each piece by following the Bialy Shaping video below.
9. Spoon the caramelized onion mixture into the center of the bialy, and repeat until you have evenly filled all of the bialys with caramelized onions.
10. Now place parchment paper or silpats on the bottom of two half sized sheet trays (cookie sheets) and spread the cornmeal over the bottom of the two trays.  If you dont have parchment paper or silpats just use extra cornmeal on the bottom of the pan to prevent them from sticking.
11. Place the bialys on the sheet trays spacing them out evenly.  With the remaining 2 TB of olive oil brush the top of the bialy dough. Sprinkle the tops with a little bit of salt.
12. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.  Upon removing from the oven garnish with fresh dill sprigs.  Eat with Cream cheese, butter, or just as is.  

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Sam's Bagels

Sam's recipe that we use for making bagels in the cafes.  Today the Lord reminded me that there is something about good food that enables people to share community and love with one another.  Give this recipe a try and while you are making it (and eating it), pray that God would use those making the same recipe in Central Asia to make an impact for His kingdom!

Sesame Bagel

Sam’s Bagel Recipe

Yields 8 Bagels

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Warm Water

1 Tbsp. Dry Active Yeast

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tbsp. Melted Butter

2 tsp Malt Syrup (find at specialty grocery stores like whole foods)

2 tsp Salt

4 1/2 cups Unbleached Bread Flour

Toppings as desired such as:

Cinnamon Sugar Bagel

Cinnamon sugar

Sesame Seeds

Poppy Seeds

Cheese

Boiling Water Ingredients

4 Quarts water

2 TB Malt Syrup

1 Tsp Salt

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Mix warm water, yeast, sugar and allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in the melted butter, malt syrup, salt and 1 cup flour.
4. Slowly mix in enough flour to form a stiff bagel dough (reserve the rest of flour if there is any for shaping and kneading the dough, you may need more flour for kneading if there is none left)
5. Knead the dough for 10 minutes.  Set aside in a warm place and cover with plastic wrap or a cloth.  Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, mix the Boiling Water Ingredients together and place over high heat on the stove.
7. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape:  Shape the dough by taking one of your eight pieces and rolling it into a long even cylinder (about 10 inches in length.  Taper the ends of the cylinder. Wrap the dough around the middle of your hand and roll the two tapered ends together so it forms the bagel shape.  Check out my demonstration video on how to shape bagels below)
8. Once you have shaped the bagels.  Allow them to rest for 20 minutes.
9. Boil the bagels two at at time for 1 minute on each side (flipping them halfway through)
10. Remove them from the water and immediately dip them in your desired toppings, after the topping is applied, transfer the bagel to baking sheet and repeat the process with the remaining bagels.
11. Bake at 425 until golden brown (17-25 minutes)

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Jesus working through dreams and businesses

   “Lilly” was in for a surprise as she began to frequent one of the coffee shops in Central Asia. What was once her stop for in-house roasted coffee and delicious pastries or sandwiches soon became a chance to improve her ability to speak English. She found out that right above the coffee shop, was an English School.

     A couple semesters back, Lilly began taking English classes and even has brought her son and daughter to an English camp. The English school and Cafe have provided Lilly with an environment to make many friendships. These friendships have allowed for much conversation, in which Lilly has shared an interesting dream that she experienced. We have met and heard of many people from this culture that have experienced very powerful spiritual dreams, often in which Jesus appears to them. 

In the dream she saw herself surrounded by trash (which she interpreted as the bad in her life), but a spring of refreshing water near as well. The trust and friendship our team has made with Lilly has allowed for them to tell her about Jesus being the living water. They have given her a Bible and she continues to investigate more truths about Jesus as well. 

We are strong believers in how the teamwork of the English school and cafe ministries are used by Jesus to change lives in such an unreached area of the world. Lilly’s story is an exciting example of what we are eager to be a part of. 


For more amazing stories of Jesus working through dreams and visions in the muslim world check out this book:

Dreams and Visions: is Jesus Awakening the Muslim World?

http://www.amazon.com/DREAMS-AND-VISIONS-Awakening-ebook/dp/B0078FAA3M

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Recipe Testing- Strawberry Napoleon

Today we started the process of recipe testing for use in the cafes.  Over the next few months we will be testing our recipes and passing out our culinary creations to get feedback.  We will use the feedback we get to create the best possible products to serve at the cafes in Central Asia.  If you are lucky you might get to be our taste testers!  Here are some pictures of Heather's Strawberry Napoleon.  It is puff pastry with strawberries and a diplomat cream (mixture of pastry cream and whipped cream)  

What do you think?  

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