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Which Butter Is Best For Baking? - Yahoo Recipe Search
Food52Before I began my career as a publicist, I spent the age of 15-21 as a waitress in restaurants which ranged from greasy spoon coffee shops to high end French couture restaurants. All these years later, I still have very fond memories of hanging out in the kitchen watching the chefs and line cooks puff up perfect soufflés, julienne a bucket of some exotic vegetable or sauce up a chicken fried steak. I really enjoyed watching the assembly line of prep and putting together of ingredients to be plated and toted out to the dining room. I learned about wines as my customers ordered bottles and gave me sips to experience along with them. The walk-in was a particularly interesting place, not only to catch my breath for a moment of solitude, but to steal a nibble of something that may have been forbidden for the wait staff to eat. I remember a giant English trifle of which attracted my spoon, dish and I into the refrigerator a few more times than I probably should. Aside from helping my Mom in her kitchen as a kid, these were the places where I was really was bitten by the food bug. Just curious really, I suppose. I learned that my preconceived notions were not foregone conclusions – “you mean there is no chicken in a chicken fried steak?” An aspect of myself which lives on today in my publicity work, I loved to make anything eccentric mainstream; once I learned what a coulibiac actually was, we couldn’t keep it in the kitchen. Many recipes came from those years which I hastily penned down on cocktail napkins and to this day, keep in a notebook, Scotch-taped to a three hole-punched piece of wrinkled paper. My apple tarte tartin is one, for which I am known to make every year for Christmas. And, so, upon you telling me `about your new blog, Amanda, and seeing you have a recipe submission button -- I’m contributing my high-fat, high-heaven apple dish to your community. Congrats on Food52; it’s beautiful. Along with William Safire’s great word soliloquies, I’m sad that you’re no longer at the NYT. I have relished your slightly quirky and always elegant take on the edible for the paper and magazine, but this seems like a wonderful endeavor. And, well, you are irreplaceable, so too bad for them! Alyson’s Apple Tarte Tartin 6 large green apples (in my opinion, the tartness of green is so much better than reds) 14 tablespoons salted butter (don’t listen to cooks who say you must bake with sweet butter – I like the salt) 2/3 cup white sugar 7 tablespoons brown sugar Crust: 2 cups flour (sift it!) 1 teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons lard 7-10 tablespoons ice cold water Or Use Pepperidge Farm’s Filo Dough (mucho easier, faster and perfectly delicious) Glaze: ½ cup white sugar ¼ cup water Condiment: Heavy cream Powdered sugar Cut apples in half. Cut out the cores in a “V” shape. Cut off both ends so they are square. Peel them. Combine butter, brown and white sugar into a thick paste. Divide in half. Using a high-sided iron Dutch oven, smush the butter mixture thickly on the bottom and sides of the iron. Note: you can use other kinds of pans, but the heavier the better and the sides should be a minimum of twice the height of the apples. Believe me, it took me years to figure out the perfection, specifically, of using a Dutch oven for this. If it overflows, the caramelizing procedure will create an incredible mess in your oven and you’ll create such a thick smoke in the house, you’ll smell it for weeks. You might even attract the fire department, which, if you’re single, may not be a bad thing…. Arrange apples with one of the cut, squared sides down, front to back until they are packed together in a petal like fashion around the edges of the Dutch oven. Think of how bodies might be squished together for a photo with people’s back’s pressed against other’s chests. There should be no space between them and tightly packed in. Do the same in a circle inside this row toward the center of the pan, until all apples are packed in on their sides. Take the rest of the butter/sugar paste and crumble over the apples. There should be plenty of paste; be generous with it. For your own dough, sift together flour and salt. Cut in lard and toss with a fork until combined. Add tablespoons (one at a time) of iced cold water and toss to form a loose dough. Gather dough into ball and roll out into ¼” thickness. Cut dough to cover apples (easiest to use the Dutch oven or baking dish cover to measure!). Cover applies with dough, tucking edges between the apples and the side of the pan. Slit dough in center to air to escape. Now, take the batteries out of your smoke alarms and make sure you oven is lined with foil. Preheat oven to 450. Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove dish from oven and increase heat to 550. Cover dish and return to oven and bake for one hour. To check is tartin is done, tilt dish and liquid should have caramelized and look like dark brown honey. Remove from oven and cool. DO NOT REFRIGERATE, otherwise, you’ll never get it out of the pan. Keep it at room temperate for a couple of hours until pan is cool enough to touch with bare hands. Put a large serving plate over the Dutch oven. Over the sink – flip it. Let it sit until all the apples fall onto the plate. Carefully remove the Dutch oven and pray the apples are still in a nice petal-like pattern. If some are still stuck, carefully scrape out and try to fit into the pattern. If not, no worries, it’ll taste the same. I am famous for my crooked cakes, but also for how amazing they taste! Now you must refrigerate the tartin, which should now be seated on top of the dough. You must get the apples cool enough to grab the glaze and let it harden into a candy like texture. An hour should be enough, just make sure the apples are cool to the touch before adding the glaze. Combine ½ cup white sugar and a bit of water in a heavy small saucepan. Cook on high heat on stove until if caramelized. It should take 5-8 minutes or so, it will slightly smoke and turn color to a dark brown. As it starts to turn from a golden honey to a dark honey color and smoke a bit, turn down the heat and let it transform into a dark brown honey like color. It may appear that it’s burning -- it is actually, but there is a fine line between caramelized and burnt. Pour immediately over the tartin. The coolness of the apples will grab the glaze to harden into a candy like texture and hold the apples together. Place heavy cream into metal or glass bowl (not plastic as it will not firm up). Place hand whipper in at high speed until the cream begins to turn from liquid to a firm whipped cream texture. Add a bit of sugar to taste to the sweetness you like. Go easy on, as the sugar in the apples is intense and so a more plain cream is preferable as a condiment. Serve and repeat the story above. Tell them it was you. They’ll believe it, especially since by dessert time, your guests should have had enough wine to smile at anything you tell them.Yummly## Lettuce wraps: low-carb, keto, gluten-free and delicious. Lettuce wraps (or lettuce cups) have a lot going for them: Fresh, filling and easy to prepare, they’re a great party food and a perfect fit for many specialized diets. With some attention to the ingredients you put in, they are keto, low-carb, and gluten-free. For a weeknight meal, this dinner recipe is hard to beat. Leave out the hummus and they’re even paleo. ## A variation on Asian lettuce wraps These aren’t the P. F. Chang’s-style asian chicken lettuce wraps, with ground chicken, sesame oil, hoisin sauce and soy sauce (though, those are delicious). Instead, this recipe offers a creamy, crunchy variation on a BLT sandwich. This BLTA (bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado) in easy chicken lettuce-wrap form is perfect for an easy dinner or a summer party appetizer, since it is served at room temperature. The mayo-hummus spread adds creamy texture, as well as holding everything together. ## Let’s talk about butter lettuce Butter lettuce works perfectly for this because butter lettuce leaves are thick and luscious (one might even call them buttery), as well as being the perfect size for a hand-held treat. However, if butter lettuce (or bibb lettuce or Boston lettuce, which are nearly indistinguishable from butter lettuce) isn’t available, a romaine or iceberg lettuce leaf is a good substitute. For a nutrition boost, this could even be served on tender cabbage leaves from the inner layers of a head of cabbage. ## Variations on BLTA chicken lettuce wraps This is a very adaptable recipe - ground chicken, ground turkey or ground beef, any of which you can brown in olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat, works well to replace the diced chicken. For an easy variation on the filling, you can add diced bell peppers, red pepper flakes or chopped cucumbers. ## But wait, I want to eat P. F. Chang’s lettuce wraps! Fair enough - try this [highly yummed P. F. Chang’s-style copycat recipe](https://www.yummly.com/recipe/PF-Changs-Chicken-Lettuce-Wraps-596804) that incorporates hoisin sauce, soy sauce, water chestnuts, green onions, and rice wine vinegar into the chicken mixture for Chinese flavors. ## Baking bacon This recipe includes a couple adaptable cooking hacks: The first is baking bacon. Eliminate splatter and the need to stand over a hot stove by cooking strips of bacon in the oven on 375º F for 20 minutes. Set a timer and forget it until your bacon’s ready. Bake the bacon on a wire rack for extra-crispy strips ## Hummus/mayo spread The other kitchen hack found in this recipe is the hummus-mayo mix: It’s a great way to add lots of creamy texture to a lettuce wrap (or a lavash wrap, tortilla wrap, or sandwich!) in a healthy, lower-fat way. The extra fiber and protein in the hummus are just a bonus, this spread is delicious. ## How to serve lettuce wraps, and what to serve them with These wraps are great for a party - wash and dry the lettuce leaves as much as two days in advance and make the filling in bulk (it’s easy to double or triple the amounts). Before serving, lay the lettuce leaves out on your serving tray and assemble them in place. If you’re serving these as a main dish for dinner, you can put the filling and the creamy hummus out in small bowls on the table with a pile of lettuce leaves, and let people assemble their own. Anything that you’d serve with a BLT sandwich is a great side dish to serve with these: potato salad, coleslaw (which allows you to keep it low-carb), fruit salad, sweet potato fries or, yes, bread.Yummly_How can you not love banana bread?_ Banana bread is the ultimate multitasker: It makes good use of your overripe bananas. A low-sugar version with a little wheat germ thrown in and topped with jelly makes a perfect breakfast. Toasted with butter, it’s the ideal snack. Or mix in chocolate chips with a side of ice cream and it’s a scrumptious dessert. These tips will increase your appreciation of banana bread—and help you make the most out of this humble sweet treat. _Easy banana bread_ The easy banana bread recipe listed here below uses self-rising flour so that you can skip the baking soda and baking powder (though there's an easy substitute listed below for that, too). The vanilla extract and brown sugar help create a nuanced loaf that can be enjoyed for breakfast or in the afternoon with tea. _Is banana bread good for you?_ One slice, depending on the size, contains anywhere from 80 to 140 calories and three grams of fat—compare that to a slice of cheesecake, which can have as much as 400 calories and 18 grams of fat! Banana bread also provides up to five grams of fiber and six grams of protein. The mashed bananas keep it moist and sweet, replacing some of the oil and white sugar you'd otherwise need for a sweet quick bread like this one. _How ripe is ripe?_ We all know that you must use ripe bananas. But for best banana bread, though, your bananas should be not just ripe, but over-ripe—even black. You can let them sit on the counter until the skins are no longer “spotted” with brown but are completely brown. Then either refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to go. Gooey and oozy make for moist, sweet and flavorful banana bread. _Do it quick_ No time to wait for your bananas to ripen on their own? Try this instant trick: Bake unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet in a 250-degree oven until soft, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool, peel, and, voila! You’re ready to bake up a storm. _Go nuts_ Yes, for many, chocolate chips are a staple of banana bread. But for purists, the sweetness of the chocolate may detract from the unadulterated banana taste. If you're in that camp, instead of chocolate chips try walnuts, which add a toasty nuttiness and crunch that is a perfect complement to the banana flavor. If you must add chocolate, fold chopped chocolate pieces into the batter along with the walnuts. A slice will tide you over for hours. If you use mini chocolate chips for this, they'll almost melt into the batter, giving an overall chocolate taste that many adore. _Stop the sinking_ When your batter is mixed properly, banana bread bakes with a slight crest in the center. But if your loaf falls, there may be several culprits. Excess moisture can cause the middle of your loaf to sink because the center of the bread is too moist and soft. If your bananas are extra mushy, the banana mixture will have a higher liquid content; to offset this, add a tablespoon of flour at a time into the mixing bowl to help reduce the moisture of the batter, just until it is thick, a little lumpy, and not watery. Your baking time should stay the same. _Beyond bananas_ So many bananas—so little time. Yes, you can add almond extract or ground cinnamon to liven up your BB. But why not get a little more adventurous? Using ingredients you probably already have, try these creative takes on traditional banana bread: • Make banana breakfast casserole, using leftover bread, evaporated milk, and maple syrup. • Add pureed avocado to the batter for extra creaminess. • Mix your banana bread batter with funfetti cake mix—woo hoo, party time! • Savor the ultimate delicious no-brainer—peanut butter banana bread! • Replace the butter with coconut oil and sprinkle the prepared loaf pan with coconut flakes before you pour batter in. • Pour the batter into greased muffin tins and make banana bread muffins. This will reduce cook time significantly: Start checking to see if they're done at 20 minutes.Food52The over-crowded bookcase above my mother’s kitchen desk did not discriminate between healthy cooking and indulgence. Adele Davis’ no-nonsense Let’s Eat Right To Keep Fit cozied up alongside James Beard’s Fireside Cook Book and Julia Child’s butter-stained Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Published in 1970, Davis’ timeless reference guide to nutrition served more as a suggestion and less as an ultimatum. My mother’s casual promotion of health food to a family devoted to lofty cakes and lattice-topped pies, aligned with my father’s dictum to diet and exercise. “Everything in moderation,” he would remind us after his morning jog, slicing off a small triangle of apple pie for breakfast and pouring himself a second cup of coffee from the Chemex. One might say my mother was a thin-shelled health food nut, while my father was a tough nut to crack. My mother’s interest in diet and nutrition stemmed from both her upbringing and her education. The daughter of a dentist, she enjoyed a lengthy career as a dental hygienist, admonishing us to brush our teeth and floss regularly. As children, a visit to my grandfather’s office overlooking Bryant Park, was a healthy contradiction. Armed with new toothbrushes and pocket-sized tubes of toothpaste, we paused by a behemoth glass jar on my grandfather’s desk to pluck a handful of cello wrapped candies. Planting a good-bye kiss on his cheek, we headed to Katz’s for hot dogs washed down with Dr. Brown’s cream soda. Even at the height of the health food craze, my mother’s approach was far from a religious pursuit, more akin to a hobby. Most mornings, she orchestrated four brown bag lunches. Even though her valiant attempts to coax us towards whole grains fell flat, I had to applaud her tenacity. She was subtle, sandwiching peanut butter or cream cheese or egg salad between two slices of whole wheat bread, cut on the diagonal. We pleaded for pedestrian white bread instead. She reluctantly obliged with multi-grain bread which was lighter on the wheat, adding an apple or a small box of Sun-Maid raisins for good measure. Lunch wasn’t the only meal exposed to a healthy upgrade. The Tupperware turntable in our kitchen cabinet designated to vitamins, flax seed, oat bran, and banana chips also housed unsweetened breakfast options. Spinning the turntable unleashed a waft of health-food-store-Brewer’s yeast that we considered toxic. Avoiding that turntable like the plague, Grape Nuts and Shredded Wheat were as far as we dared stray from sugar-kissed cereals. When carob chips and honey were touted as healthful baking substitutes, my mother combed through a stack of glossy food magazines until she found a recipe for carob chip cookies. The results were underwhelming at best, reinforcing Toll House morsels as a pantry staple. The lackluster cookies enjoyed a field trip to science class and a little extra credit for the baker; my mother was thrilled. The 1970s and '80s introduced consumers to kitchen gadgets that encouraged nutrition. New appliances intrigued but left my brothers, sister, and I nonplussed. The peanut butter spinning out of the Salton peanut butter machine was tasty but not sweet enough. The thermostat controlled yogurt maker produced five tangy portions yet severely lacked fruit on the bottom. We balked; my mother persevered. Although the counter-top bread machine turned out crusty loaves of multi-grain, slices dunked in skim milk were a far cry from challah French toast doused in Vermont maple syrup. Adele Davis encouraged fresh juices, prompting the purchase of a juice extractor. It wasn’t unusual to wander into the kitchen and witness a scene reminiscent of Muppet Labs. Strewn across the Formica countertop was a riot of carrots, apples, crimson beets, and knobs of fresh ginger. Standing at the helm was my mother, guiding the fruit and vegetables as they tumbled headfirst down the chute of the extractor. When offered a juice glass of the health tonic, I politely declined. My mother declared it, ‘out of this world’ while my father opted instead for a dry martini with an extra olive. I did share, however, my mother’s passion for lemons, both the thick-skinned grocery store variety and the elusive thin-skinned Meyer lemon. Squeezed over ice cubes in tall glasses or bobbing in a cup of hot water, we drank these beverages in lieu of coffee after dinner. In her classic yin and yang philosophy of sharing, my mother reminded me that lemons eroded tooth enamel but were packed with antioxidants. Circling the dining room table nightly provided an opportunity to over-share the day’s events, fill (and refill) our dinner plates, eating just enough vegetables to ensure smooth sailing to dessert. My mother’s attempt to replace white macaroni with whole wheat was almost as dire as introducing brown rice instead of white. The dinner table mutinies were blissfully short lived. “Your father prefers regular spaghetti,” my mother assured me as she squeezed fresh lemon juice over a bowl of whole wheat pasta salad. For a very brief period, I encouraged my mother to enroll in an aerobics class and promised to join her. With Billy Joel’s greatest hits pouring out of a boom box, our blindingly white sneakers zigged instead of zagged across the floor, turning to the left when the rest of the class was turning right. Desperately trying to avoid facing the wall of mirrors, we laughed more than we aerobicized. Class concluded with a series of cool down stretches and shoulder rolls. As Barry Manilow crooned “I can’t smile without you,” we decided he could, making a beeline for the car. We stopped for frozen yogurt on the way home.Food52This pumpkin polenta makes a great lunch with a salad. It warmed me up on a chilly day, and stayed with me all afternoon. I made this with a terrific Apple and Feta Topping, but my husband, a confirmed carnivore, likes this with some meat. When he first tried it, he really liked it but said it needed some good stuff. Thinking he meant some cream or cheese, I asked what he thought I should add. His response: Meat, and lots of it.... So, if you're looking for something more hearty, you can take a more 'wimpy vegetarian' approach and serve this with roast chicken, pork or top it with a brisket stew. Me? I thought it was perfect with the Apple Feta Crumble :-) Some tips on making polenta: 1) Polenta is famous for its tendency to thicken and can be made to a variety of consistencies ranging from firm to soft. General rule of thumb for firm polenta (aka very, very thick), use 1 part polenta to 3-4 parts liquid; for soft polenta, use 1 part polenta to 6-8 parts liquid. 2) Polenta comes in fine, medium and coarse grain. The finer the grain, the less creamy it will be, so I tend to use medium or coarse grain with the later being my favorite for a creamy polenta like this recipe. 3) Polenta thickens over time and should be served immediately. Ideally, get everything else ready and kept warm until the polenta can be served. If this isn't possible, and the polenta must sit on the stove for a bit, it's best to keep it warm in a hot water bath, if possible. Alternatively, you can ladle in some hot liquid just before serving and stir to allow the polenta to absorb it. 4) Tips for a creamier polenta: 1) use a coarser grain polenta; 2) add fat at the end in the form of milk, cream, butter, and/or cheese; or 3) add a pinch of baking soda. Be careful with the baking soda, as more than a pinch can turn the polenta to mush, which isn't quite as attractive as creamy :-) . Even creamy polenta should have a mouthfeel of some of the texture of the grain. Also, be aware that the addition of even a pinch of baking soda will speed the cooking. 5) If making your own vegetable broth, this would be a great one to add chunks of pumpkin to, and/or stripped corn cobs to increase the pumpkin and/or corn flavors.YummlyButtery, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth, Southern-style biscuits. A distant dream on the keto diet? Not after you try this recipe! The recipe is a Yummly original created by [Sara Mellas](https://www.yummly.com/dish/author/Sara%20Mellas). When we think of traditional biscuits in the United States, what comes to mind are golden brown, buttery baked rounds that flake and crumble and make a multitude of evils disappear in the time it takes to eat one. Whether they're split down the middle and drizzled with honey, or they're smothered in sausage gravy alongside a plate of fried chicken, or they're dressed up with cheddar cheese and garlic, biscuits will make tastebuds tingle any way they’re served. ## Low carb confusion Like most pastry and bread recipes, flour biscuits, though indubitably delicious, will probably never be considered health food. And low carb? Forget about it! With refined flour as the primary ingredient, these high-glycemic treats when prepared traditionally are an occasional indulgence for most, and completely off-limits for those following gluten-free, grain- free, paleo, or keto diets. But to have a dietary restriction or preference does not eliminate the desire to occasionally mainline a buttery biscuit straight to the mouth. Though it may not be possible to stop into the nearest store for a grain-free biscuit, with this biscuit recipe you can make keto buttermilk biscuits at home in under 45 minutes! ## But...Buttermilk? A lot of dairy drinks like milk are not considered keto because they contain about 12 g of carbs per cup. Buttermilk has the same amount of carbs, but in this recipe uses 1/2 cup of buttermilk for 12-14 biscuits. That means the buttermilk only contributes about 1/2 carb to each biscuit. Unless you're eating a whole batch of biscuits in one sitting, the buttermilk carbs aren't a big issue. ## Main ingredient swap As with most low carb recipes for keto-friendly baked goods, the main dry ingredient used in these biscuits is almond flour in place of the white flour common in other biscuits recipes. For the best results, steer clear of grinding your own almond meal at home and instead opt for the super-fine ground and blanched almond flour that can be found in the baking or specialty aisles of most grocery stores. Unfortunately, coarse, homemade almond meal is too heavy and high-moisture for producing the flaky biscuits we’re after in this keto recipe. ## Transferrable techniques When making biscuits of any kind, it is extremely important that all the ingredients be kept very cold. Low temperatures ensure that pieces of butter stay solid in the dough prior to entering the oven. Once the biscuits begin to bake, the butter pieces release steam to create pockets, resulting in tender, flaky layers, which is why it's important that the butter holds its shape and moisture until baking time. With melted butter and a low carb or no carb flour, you'd end up with flat and dense disks. This means the butter, egg, and buttermilk should be kept as cold as possible in the refrigerator before and during the mixing, shaping, and cutting of the dough. Additionally, for an optimal outcome, we recommend placing your almond meal and mixing bowl in the freezer (yes, really, the bowl!) for 30 minutes before you plan to start these low carb biscuits. Another key component in biscuit-making is to make sure you don't overwork the dough. Handle it as gently and as little as possible when mixing, rolling, and cutting the biscuit rounds. This way the heat from your hands will not soften the butter pieces, and your final keto biscuits will have a melt-in-your-mouth texture. ## Low carb caveat Do these keto/low carb biscuits taste exactly like their traditional flour-based counterparts? Will they fool the savviest wheat connoisseurs? Most likely not. However, that’s not to say they aren’t a convincingly close alternative for low carb diets, boasting far more nutritional value. So the next time you’re craving a golden brown, oven-fresh, fluffy biscuit low on net carbs, give this recipe a try, and see if you can stop after just one!YummlyThe crunch in this pie comes from the oatmeal topping, which turns wonderfully golden brown and crispy in the oven, which provides delectable counterpart to the softened apples in the filling as well as the flaky crust. The apples are simply tossed with lemon juice, brown sugar, and enough flour to thicken the juices that will be released during baking. This recipe calls for ready made shortcrust, which can be store-bought or your own doing.Food.comThere are as many variations of this traditional dish as there are names for it (Pizza Rustica, Carnival Pie, Easter Pie and Ham Pie are just a few.) Some versions include hard boiled eggs in the filling along with the meat and cheeses, this one does not. Here is my family's version which I still make every Easter. The pastry we've always used for the crust is more like a bread dough (yeast risen), however your favorite pie crust recipe may be used as well. **Please note the different pan sizes, pan preparations, baking temperatures and baking times depending on which type of crust you choose to use. The "Prep Time" does not include the 2 hour rising time for the yeast dough crust. Note: The 2nd ingredient for the yeast dough crust should be leaf lard (or butter). Recipezaar will not accept the correction and insists on listing it as "leaves lard".EpicuriousThis is my best white bread for sandwiches, dinner rolls, cinnamon swirl or herb swirl breads, and toast. I developed it to match my childhood memory of my favorite bread, Silvercup, a soft, light, and airy bread like today's Wonder Bread, which made the best toast. This homemade version has the same texture but has a more yeasty and fuller flavor. In fact, this bread is like a brioche, with less butter and no egg. It has an even yet open crumb but is softer and lighter in texture. Part of the secret of its light texture is that, like brioche, it is made from an exceptionally moist dough. Lightly toasted and topped with soft scrambled eggs, it is nothing short of ambrosial. Michael Batterberry, publisher of Food Arts magazine, tasted this bread and said, "Mmmm. . . . This is what Wonder Bread, in its soul, really always wanted to be!" TIME SCHEDULE **Dough Starter (Sponge):** minimum 1 hour, maximum 24 hours **Minimum Rising Time:** about 4 hours **Oven Temperature:** 350°F **Baking Time:** 50 minutes
