The Interference Recipe thread

[yolland]

Applesauce?

Hmm, well, personally I love homemade applesauce, but I suspect my kids would turn up their noses at the thought that it constitutes "dessert." I was more thinking along the lines of things like those old-fashioned American desserts--not sure what they're called--where you pour batter over stewing fruit in a stockpot and it cooks in the heat from the fruit, or those old-fashioned British "puddings" which are actually more like dense, moist cakes which are steamed rather than baked. Flour-based stuff, in other words. I don't necessarily need a precise recipe, and I don't mind tinkering a bit to make something that usually involves butter or milk nondairy; my problem is that I've never even eaten, let alone made, either of those types of desserts before, so I'm unclear as to what basic type of batter I'm supposed to be mixing up.

There's always rice pudding, too, and I know how to make that on a stovetop with coconut milk; the problem there is that we're already eating rice with almost every meal here, so I think that might feel like overkill.

 

[hiphop]

Yolland, unfortunately I can´t bake. Otherwise I would have receipts for you but desserts are usually where I feel like visiting the Italian gelateria.

 

[kramwest1]

Does anyone know any good stovetop desserts that can be made without dairy (I'm allergic)? We're in Hong Kong for the year with only a two-burner stovetop, a wok, and a stockpot to work with--no oven--and I'd like to come up with a few desserts to serve on occasion. All I really know how to do off the top of my head are a few deep-fried, fritter-type things, and then there's fruit salad of course, but I was hoping for something with a more 'comfort food'-type flavor and texture.

This got me thinking. I don't have any specific recipes. Applecrisp should be easy with a butter substitute.

These look good though:

Vegan Dessert Recipes | ChooseVeg.com


Mark

 

[redhotswami]

Does anyone know any good stovetop desserts that can be made without dairy (I'm allergic)? We're in Hong Kong for the year with only a two-burner stovetop, a wok, and a stockpot to work with--no oven--and I'd like to come up with a few desserts to serve on occasion. All I really know how to do off the top of my head are a few deep-fried, fritter-type things, and then there's fruit salad of course, but I was hoping for something with a more 'comfort food'-type flavor and texture.

how about some raw vegan recipes?

for example, you can make stuffed dates:

pit them, put walnut inside, and then roll it on some shredded coconut.


it's not stove top, but that doesn't mean it isn't yummy!

 

[misfit toys]

I was more thinking along the lines of things like those old-fashioned American desserts--not sure what they're called--where you pour batter over stewing fruit in a stockpot and it cooks in the heat from the fruit, or those old-fashioned British "puddings" which are actually more like dense, moist cakes which are steamed rather than baked. Flour-based stuff, in other words. I don't necessarily need a precise recipe, and I don't mind tinkering a bit to make something that usually involves butter or milk nondairy; my problem is that I've never even eaten, let alone made, either of those types of desserts before, so I'm unclear as to what basic type of batter I'm supposed to be mixing up.

Ah, okay, like a cobbler. I found this recipe. You would need a heavy Dutch oven type pot. That could be done on a stovetop.

 

[finny fish]

What about coconut pudding? Its sweet and you can get the Chinese style from the supermarket in Hong Kong (I'm pretty sure). Its a good substitute for diary.

Theres a few options in the link below, I know its not what you're thinking of but its something to consider when you feel like a change.

Coconut Pudding Recipes - Holiday/Seasonal Cooking

 

[yolland]

I found this recipe. You would need a heavy Dutch oven type pot. That could be done on a stovetop.

Oh! Thanks for that! Yes, that sounds quite similar to what I was thinking of. Looks like it's basically a biscuit dough, which should be doable.

I probably will make a coconut pudding and some of these other ideas at some point too, it's just that I've been racking my brains trying to think of what might hit the spot for my homesick kids when they crave pie, cookies or cake, none of which I can actually make without an oven. Thanks all!

 

[bonocomet]

I remember years ago making a stovetop cake from rice and/or coconut. I can't remember now it's been so long but it was a recipe from a Chinese cooking class I took about 30 years ago! I do remember it definitely had a cake like consistency though, so it might also satisfy your kids I'll see if I can find the recipe or maybe someone actually knows what I'm trying to think of!

 

[finny fish]

i know what you're talking about with the coconut cake but I'm not 100% sure how to make it. I did find this recipe for a chocolate mousse tort which is dairy free. The kids might like this

Free Recipes - Chocolate mousse torte recipe | cuisine.com.au

 

[dan_smee]

Anyone got a good and authentic recipe for Baklava?

I have used the one form taste.com.au (below), and it just sint quite what you get in the Turkish restaurants.

Ingredients
375g (1 packet) filo pastry
180g butter, melted & cooled
2 tsp water
filling
150g walnut pieces
150g unsalted pistachios
55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
honey syrup
1 375g jar honey
165g (3/4 cup) sugar
250mls (1 cup) water
1 lemon, rind finely grated and juiced
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C To make the filling, spread the walnuts on a baking tray and lightly toast in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes or until aromatic. Cool.
Combine walnuts, pistachios, sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor and process using the pulse button until they are finely chopped.
Remove the filo pastry from its packet and lie flat on the work bench. Cover with a dry tea towel and then a damp tea towel. (This will keep the filo from drying out while making the baklava.)
Brush a shallow 18 x 28cm cake tin with some of the butter. Take 1/3 of the sheets of filo. Brush the top sheet generously with butter and fold into thirds to make a rectangle the size of the tin. Place in the base of the buttered tin and brush surface with butter.
Continue layering with the left over 1/3 of pastry. Spread 1/2 of the nut filling over the filo to cover. Layer 1/2 of the remaining filo sheets as before. Spread left over nut filling over filo and top with the remaining layered buttered filo sheets. Lightly brush top with remaining butter.
Using a sharp knife, cut a diamond pattern into the top layer of filo and sprinkle with the water. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes longer or until the filo layers are cooked through.
Meanwhile, to make the honey syrup, combine honey, sugar, water, lemon rind and juice in a saucepan and stir over high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and maintain over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the syrup has thickened slightly.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. When cooked, remove baklava from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup evenly over the surface. Stand to cool completely. Cover with foil and store at room temperature in the tin for up to 2 weeks.
Cut into diamond shapes to serve with espresso coffee or as a dessert with whipped cream.

 

[VintagePunk]

Anyone got a good and authentic recipe for Baklava?

Anyone want a recipe for Baklava? I used to make this every Christmas and it always got rave reviews. It is quite time consuming though (you have to brush every single piece of phyllo dough with melted butter), but if someone thinks they may use it I'll post it.

I've been on a pumpkin kick lately. Pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins.

Pumpkin. I'm afraid I'm going to find myself in a pumpkin patch, just gnawing on them.

 

[dan_smee]

Thank you VP! Indra, I would love the recipe if you have time

 

[yolland]

What fell short about the recipe you used, dan? Texture, sweetness level, spices missing, etc. ...?

I make baklava all the time back home, though I've never actually used a recipe (sorry!), and in any case I've never made the Turkish variety, which is quite different from the Greek or Lebanese varieties that are more common here. Your recipe looks to me like the Greek variety (which is the style I most often make, though I use olive oil instead of butter, no pistachios, and some cloves in addition to the cinnamon). But the Turkish baklavas I've seen use a thicker type of phyllo made with eggs (and lots of it--many layers), a sugar-only syrup (no honey), and a pistachio filling which often includes a type of clotted cream, but no other nuts and no spices. Granted, Turkey's a big place, so it could well be that that's actually a style unique to some particular region which most Turkish-Americans happen to come from, but I was just wondering if maybe that's also the style you're aiming for, and therefore part of the reason why you found that recipe dissatisfying.

I'll also be interested to see indra's recipe though, good luck with it.

 

[Galeongirl]

VP Care to post a couple of pumpkin recipes? My mother wants to buy a couple for decoration and asked me if I knew any good recipes, since the soup my dad made of them in the past was horrible.

I thought of this thread immediately, since in N-A it's quite a popular thing for Halloween right? I'd be most interested in sweet dishes if possible, cakes cookies and muffins sound good to me!

 

[Tiger Edge]

Ooohhh, my mom and I toiled for about 4 hours making about 4 trays of baklava last year. It was quite expensive, but since we gave them out as gifts it worked out great... and it was delicious!
One slight difference in the syrup is that we used a slice or two of orange and some cinnamon sticks. We also buttered each individual filo sheet, or maybe 2 at a time in order to get it extra fluffy.
I don't know where my mom got her recipe from, but it's likely old as her Turkish roots go back to her grandmother/great-grandmother.

I just read the whole thread as I'm on the prowl for this year's Christmas ideas. I've toyed with attempting petit fours for a while now and I think I might actually do it this year.

We made these Halloween cupcakes last year and I'll probably do them again for my party this year:

 

[Galeongirl]

Wow those look awesome! Really really cool!

 

[Tiger Edge]

It's not my picture, but they did turn out pretty cute!

I actually came up with another quirky idea for Easter Bunny cupcakes. I took them to my godmother's house and everyone loved them.
Make a regular set of cupcakes, get some yellow frosting to go with it too. My friend had some tiny pastel candies (although I'm sure you can use the pastel M&Ms that turn up around Easter) that we used as eyes. We took the pink ones solely for the nose. I bought a pack of those Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Lovers and used the marshmallows for the teeth under the nose. Then I took some chocolate sprinkles and set them as the whiskers.
I ran out of ideas for ears so I ended up cutting paper into rabbit ear shapes and just sticking them into the frosting. I'm sure in the future I'll bake some thin ear shaped cookies to use as my brother thought the paper was edible.
They came out ridiculously cute. I know I have a photo of them somewhere online, but if not I'll post one when I get home.

Edit:

 

[VintagePunk]

VP Care to post a couple of pumpkin recipes? My mother wants to buy a couple for decoration and asked me if I knew any good recipes, since the soup my dad made of them in the past was horrible.

I thought of this thread immediately, since in N-A it's quite a popular thing for Halloween right? I'd be most interested in sweet dishes if possible, cakes cookies and muffins sound good to me!

Pumpkins are carved for Hallowe'en here, but I'm not really sure if they're the cooking variety, I'd check on that before attempting to bake with one you've bought for carving.

Here are the recipes I used. In my opinion, and according to others who had my pumpkin creations, the cake is the best. It's really dense and moist, sort of like a carrot cake.

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe & Photo - Joyofbaking.com

Pumpkin Spice Cake:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups (270 grams) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup fresh or canned pure pumpkin (about 1/2 of a 15 ounce can)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups (200 grams) sifted cake flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, room temperature

Note: To make your own buttermilk combine 1/2 cup (120 ml) of milk with 1/2 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let stand for 10 minutes before using.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces (228 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (preferably Grade A dark amber)

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

For Garnish:

1/2 cup (50 grams) toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter and flour (or spray with Baker's Joy) two - 8 inch (20 cm) cake pans.

Cake: In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the pumpkin batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Divide the batter in half and then pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then invert and remove the cakes from their pans. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting: Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of your food processor (or use a hand mixer) and pulse until smooth. Add the maple syrup and confectioners' sugar and process to combine. Adjust syrup or sugar until you have the right consistency.

Assemble:

Place one of the cake layers, top side down, on a serving plate. Frost with a layer of icing. Place the second cake, top side down, onto the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with chopped nuts, if desired. Refrigerate but bring to room temperature before serving.


Here are the cookies. These make really large, moist, puffy, cake-like cookies.

Pumpkin Cookies Recipe With Picture - Joyofbaking.com

Pumpkin Cookies:

2 cups (160 grams) all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 cups (260 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (120 ml) canola oil or corn oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (215 grams) canned pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces (115 grams) room temperature cream cheese, regular of low fat

2 tablespoons (25 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup (55 grams) confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Note: Instead of frosting the cookies, you can add to the batter either 1 cup of chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) or 1 cup of chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until light and smooth (about 2 minutes). Beat in the oil, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Using 1/4 cup of batter (can use a small ice cream scoop or measuring cup) place small mounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cookie comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter until soft and creamy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla until the frosting is soft and creamy.

Makes about 18 cookies.


Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe | Cheesecake Recipes

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 1/4 cup graham crackers or ginger snaps, crushed into crumbs

Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in crumbs. Press into ungreased 9"x9" springform pan and bake 350°F for 10 minutes. (NOTE: when I made this, I didn't bake the crumb crust prior to baking the cheesecake, and it turned out perfectly.)

Filling:
2 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 - 14 ounce can pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat cream cheese and sugar together well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour over crust Bake 350ºF for 1 hour or until firm.

Chill and garnish with whipping cream. Sprinkle a bit of nutmeg or ginger on the whipped cream if desired.

Serves 12.

A couple of cheesecake making tips: make sure that the cream cheese comes to room temperature before mixing it, that makes it much easier to work with. Put a pan of water in the oven on a rack below the rack the cheesecake is on. This helps to keep it moist, and prevents it from cracking. I know this recipe says to bake until it's firm, but practically every other recipe I've seen says to bake till the edges are firm and the inside is still a little jiggly, it'll set completely as it cools.

General pumpkin baking tip - you can buy two kinds of canned pumpkin, one is just pure pumpkin with nothing added, the other is pumpkin pie filling which has spices and sugar added to it. I've used both, but if I use the pie filling, I either add no extra spice, or very little (usually just a little extra cinnamon), and I also adjust the sugar accordingly.

I've also made muffins and pumpkin loaf, but seriously, the pumpkin spice cake batter I posted above blows them all away. That'll now be my go-to mix for any sort of pumpkin-based cake/loaf/muffin thing. It should have its own fan club, it's that good.

 

[Angela Harlem]

I made a great almost creole-ish chicken thing the other night. I had chicken which I was bored with before I even started, so I just chucked in a can of cream of chicken soup, some onion, chicken seasoning, mixed dried herbs, a vege stock cube, cracked pepper and salt and it was done. It needed other things, like maybe some crushed roma or mushrooms, but I got bored(er) and stopped putting things in halfway through. I like it when random works.

 

[Kiki]

Barbacups

You will need:
1 large muffin/cupcake pan
1lb. of ground beef---browned and drained of the extra juice
1 package of the flaky biscuits
Shredded cheddar cheese
Your favorite BBQ sauce (Famous Daves Sweet and Zesty is really good in this recipe)
1/4 to a 1/3 cup of brown sugar

Set your oven to the temperature according to the biscuits package.

After you've browned your meat and drained it, put it in a large enough bowl to mix.
Combine the BBQ sauce and brown sugar with the meat. You can add as much or as little BBQ sauce as you'd like. I usually put enough in so that the meat is nice and wet. I've also started adding about a 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese in with the mix because when you cook it, the cheese melts.

Take the biscuits and flatten each biscuit individually and press in to each muffin cup. Once you've formed your own little biscuit cups you can fill them with the meat mix.
Cook at the temp on the biscuit package for as long as directed, or until the biscuits turn golden brown. Add a bit of shredded cheddar cheese on the tops to melt, then cool a bit and enjoy!

I hope you like the recipe!!

 

[yolland]

Made this Kung Pao Chicken last night after watching a colleague make it last weekend. Very easy and tasty, and not nearly as hot as the presence of all those chiles (which are left intact, and not eaten of course) might lead you to expect--most of the heat comes from the Sichuan peppercorns. In North America, you might need to visit a Chinese/Asian store to find a couple of these ingredients, particularly the Sichuan peppercorns (which are actually the seedpods of an ash shrub, not "peppercorns")--those are essential for real Kung Pao. "Dark soy sauce" isn't interchangeable with the regular kind, it's thicker and sweeter (though the variety labeled "mushroom soy sauce" will work). Chinese "rice vinegar" is darker (deep yellow) and stronger-tasting than the rice vinegars I'm used to seeing back in the US; if you can't find it, my guess is that cider vinegar or even balsamic would do. "Chinese cooking wine" (Shaoxing) can be substituted for with a cheap dry sherry.


a pound of chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
a T. of regular soy sauce
a tsp. of Chinese cooking wine
a half-tsp. salt
one-and-a-half tsp. cornstarch

Combine the above, and let sit to marinate while preparing the rest.

a tsp. of dark soy sauce
a tsp. of regular soy sauce
2 tsp. of Chinese rice vinegar (see note above)
a tsp. of toasted sesame oil (the dark, Chinese kind)
a T. of broth or water
a T. of sugar
a tsp. of cornstarch

Mix the above and set aside. That is the sauce.

oil for frying (you really only need a couple tsp., but more is fine)
a T. of Sichuan peppercorns
about 10 dried red chiles
about a T. of minced ginger
a couple cloves garlic, minced
about half a dozen green onions
a handful of unsalted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Heat a wok or frying pan; add oil. Add peppercorns and chiles, and stir-fry until the chiles are blackening and the peppercorns are releasing their scent. Add marinated chicken; stir-fry a few minutes more. Add ginger, garlic and green onions and stir-fry a couple minutes, to release their scent. Add the sauce and stir-fry until it begins to look slightly glossy and thickened (this won't take long). Add the peanuts, and stir-fry no more than a couple minutes longer.


I served this with some steamed rice and parboiled baby bok choy, in a light sauce I whipped up in the wok using vegetarian oyster sauce (I only used the vegetarian kind 'cause it's kosher), a little garlic and ginger, salt and pepper, and a bit of broth and cornstarch to slightly thicken. It was a nice combination.


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Pumpkin cake sounds good, wish I could try making it here. I always make carrot cake with a maple-orange glaze rather than the heavier cream-cheese frosting, wonder if that might be good on pumpkin cake too.

 

[Galeongirl]

Thanks a lot for the recipes VP. Yeah we checked wether they were edible pumpkins and the farmer we're going to buy them from has both kinds. We'll probably get a few of each.

I'll show these two my mom and let her decide on which recipe to use, but if you say the cake's the best I think we should try that one!

 

[Carek1230]

I am going to make this Garden Vegetable and Bean Soup recipe this weekend

Garden Vegetable and Bean Soup Recipe

 

[VintagePunk]

Thanks a lot for the recipes VP. Yeah we checked wether they were edible pumpkins and the farmer we're going to buy them from has both kinds. We'll probably get a few of each.

I'll show these two my mom and let her decide on which recipe to use, but if you say the cake's the best I think we should try that one!

You're welcome! If you go to the direct link for the cake or cookie recipe I sent you, there's a section before the recipe that explains how to prepare raw pumpkin for cooking.

I'd definitely go with the cake, but if you're making a whole pumpkin, you'll have enough for several recipes. It can be frozen for months in a ziplock bag till you need it. Good luck!


Yolland, how do you make the glaze? The pumpkin cake is very dense and moist, just like a carrot cake.

 

[Carek1230]

THANKS for all the pumpkin recipes! Baking with Pumpkin is what I really love about this time of year!!!

 

[floweravalanche]

Pumpkin is amazing!

 

[yolland]

Yolland, how do you make the glaze? The pumpkin cake is very dense and moist, just like a carrot cake.

I make it two different ways, because sometimes I make a carrot bundt cake and other times I make a tealoaf-type carrot cake. For the bundt cake, I use powdered sugar in a 4:1 ratio to the overall liquids, in this case a 50/50 mix of OJ and maple syrup (grade B is preferable here). Just sift the sugar into a bowl, add the fluids, whisk until smooth, and then drizzle over the cake, which should be mostly cool. But, you know, now I'm thinking that orange probably isn't as nice with pumpkins as it is with carrots, so maybe it'd be better to just use all maple syrup for the liquid, then maybe fold in some pecans, since those are reliably great with pumpkin. You'd probably need to reduce the sugar:liquid ratio to 3:1 if you did that, since OJ is tart.

When I make the tealoaf-type one, which is a more 'rustic' cake using wholewheat pastry flour, I just mix maple syrup and OJ 3:2 and then brush them over the cake while it's still warm. That, obviously, is more like a lacqueur than a traditional glaze, and visually adds little besides a bit of dark sheen, but it does enhance the flavor since I use maple syrup and orange zest in the cake.

I can't imagine the latter glaze working well with your cake. The more conventional one might--though that picture you posted, it just looks to me like the kind of cake that's meant to be frosted. I was really more envisioning a glazed pumpkin bundt cake. But maybe give it a try if the idea of a maple glaze sounds good to you?

 

[corianderstem]

I'm making a recipe tomorrow night that calls for beef bouillon cubes. I ended up with little cubes of chicken consomme. Will that make a difference, or are consomme cubes and bouillon cubes fairly interchangable?

I don't think having beef flavored x vs. chicken flavored x will make much of a difference - it's a chicken pot pie soup, so I would think chicken would be the way to go anyway!

 

[VintagePunk]

I've used them interchangeably in some things - i.e.: beef when making chicken fried rice and vice-versa - and it hasn't made that much of a difference. I certainly don't think you can go wrong considering you're making a chicken-based dish. The only thing I'd recommend is to watch the salt. Some consomme cubes can be quite salty, so if you're averse to extra salty things at all, I'd hold off on adding any additional salt till you taste it.

 

[corianderstem]

Thanks, VP!