Uma canção para o meu pai. :) Feliz Dia.
19.3.12
28.2.12
27.2.12
Daring Bakers - Cheese and Ham 7 Cereal Quick Bread | Pão de 7 cerais com queijo da ilha e presunto
The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.
My option was to create a new recipe based on the ones provided. I decided to use a flour mix with several cereals, grated cheese from Azores (similar to cheddar) and ham. This challenge was wonderful because it pushed me to create a recipe of my own and also it took an hour or so to complete it. Thanks!
My recipe follows
Cheese and Ham 7 Cereal Quick Bread
450 g cereal flour mix
200 g grated cheese (cheddar)
100 g ham in pieces
1 cup of cold water (might be more if the dough is too stiff)
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to moderately hot 375°F/190°C/gas mark 5. Grease a 9”×5″ (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan with olive oil and dust with flour.
2.Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture. Add the cheese, ham, olive oil and finally the water bit by bit. The batter should not be very hard but not runny as well.
4.Spoon batter into prepared pan. Drizzle evenly with a bit of olive oil. Bake for 35 minutes; brush again with olive oil. Bake an additional 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
13.2.12
São Valentim? Sim, mas só amanhã não | Valentine's? Sure, but not only tomorrow
O chamado Dia de São Valentim, ou Dia dos Namorados é amanhã, mas hoje que decidi pensar sobre o assunto e lembrar que as surpresas, as prendinhas e os carinhos devem ser distribuídos todo o ano.
As imagens abaixo são lindas, descobri-as no site Beauty and Grace, e refletem muito do que considero importante numa vida feliz, a sós ou a dois: uma cama fofa e fresca, um canteiro de flores, um bom banho de imersão, um delicioso cappuccino, um aconchegante recanto de leitura, bons petiscos...
Podem ser uma boa inspiração para aproveitarmos todos os dias do ano.
6.2.12
Reutilizar
Quando tiver renovado as suas janelas e portas e pensar em deitar fora o material antigo, pense duas vezes.
As portadas das janelas poderão ter muita utilidade. Fiquei agradavelmente surpreendida com estas sugestões.
"Next time you pass by a stray shutter on the curb, at a garage sale or at an antique market, stop and consider giving it a new lease on life. Sure, they function perfectly well inside or outside of windows, but with a little creativity that shutter can also add functionality and organization in the corners of your home."
26.1.12
Scones (a.k.a. Basic Biscuits)
Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!
I did a couple of batches and in fact I have to bake some more to achieve Audax Artifex expertise.
I loved the challenge. The recipe is very easy but it requires technique.
I'll definitely try this over and over. Thanks!
I'll definitely try this over and over. Thanks!
Basic Scones (a.k.a. Basic Biscuits)
Servings: about eight 2-inch (5 cm) scones or five 3-inch (7½ cm) scones
Recipe can be doubled
Ingredients:
1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm/5 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (10 gm) (⅓ oz) fresh baking powder
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1½ gm) salt
2 tablespoons (30 gm/1 oz) frozen grated butter (or a combination of lard and butter)
approximately ½ cup (120 ml) cold milk
optional 1 tablespoon milk, for glazing the tops of the scones
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to very hot 475°F/240°C/gas mark 9.
2. Triple sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. (If your room temperature is very hot refrigerate the sifted ingredients until cold.)
3. Rub the frozen grated butter (or combination of fats) into the dry ingredients until it resembles very coarse bread crumbs with some pea-sized pieces if you want flaky scones or until it resembles coarse beach sand if you want tender scones.
4. Add nearly all of the liquid at once into the rubbed-in flour/fat mixture and mix until it just forms a sticky dough (add the remaining liquid if needed). The wetter the dough the lighter the scones (biscuits) will be!
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, lightly flour the top of the dough. To achieve an even homogeneous crumb to your scones knead very gently about 4 or 5 times (do not press too firmly) the dough until it is smooth. To achieve a layered effect in your scones knead very gently once (do not press too firmly) then fold and turn the kneaded dough about 3 or 4 times until the dough has formed a smooth texture. (Use a floured plastic scraper to help you knead and/or fold and turn the dough if you wish.)
6. Pat or roll out the dough into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle by about ¾ inch thick (15¼ cm by 10 cm by 2 cm thick). Using a well-floured 2-inch (5 cm) scone cutter (biscuit cutter), stamp out without twisting six 2-inch (5 cm) rounds, gently reform the scraps into another ¾ inch (2 cm) layer and cut two more scones (these two scones will not raise as well as the others since the extra handling will slightly toughen the dough). Or use a well-floured sharp knife to form squares or wedges as you desire.
7. Place the rounds just touching on a baking dish if you wish to have soft-sided scones or place the rounds spaced widely apart on the baking dish if you wish to have crisp-sided scones. Glaze the tops with milk if you want a golden colour on your scones or lightly flour if you want a more traditional look to your scones.
8. Bake in the preheated very hot oven for about 10 minutes (check at 8 minutes since home ovens at these high temperatures are very unreliable) until the scones are well risen and are lightly coloured on the tops. The scones are ready when the sides are set.
9. Immediately place onto cooling rack to stop the cooking process, serve while still warm.
Variations on the Basic recipe
Buttermilk – follow the Basic recipe above but replace the milk with buttermilk, add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, increase the fat to 4 tablespoons, in Step 3 aim of pea-sized pieces of fat coated in flour, in Step 5 fold and turn the dough, rounds are just touching in the baking dish, glaze with buttermilk.
Australian Scone Ring (Damper Ring) – follow the Basic recipe above but decrease the fat to 1 tablespoon, in Step 3 aim of fine beach sand sized pieces of fat coated in flour, in Step 5 knead the dough, in Step 7 form seven rounds into a ring shape with the eighth round as the centre, glaze with milk.
Cream – follow the Basic recipe above but replace the milk with cream, add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, in Step 3 aim of beach sand sized pieces of fat coated in flour, in Step 5 knead the dough, rounds are just touching in the baking dish, glaze with cream.
Cheese and Chive – follow the Basic recipe above but add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, after Step 2 add ½ teaspoon sifted mustard powder, ¼ teaspoon sifted cayenne pepper (optional), ½ cup (60 gm/2 oz) grated cheese and 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives into the sifted ingredients, in Step 3 aim of beach sand sized pieces of fat coated in flour, in Step 5 knead the dough, rounds are widely spaced in the baking dish, sprinkle the rounds with cracked pepper.
Fresh Herb – follow the Basic recipe above but after Step 3 add 3 tablespoons finely chopped herbs (such as parsley, dill, chives etc).
Sweet Fruit – follow the Basic recipe above but after Step 3 add ¼ cup (45 gm) dried fruit (e.g. sultanas, raisins, currents, cranberries, cherries etc) and 1 tablespoon (15 gm) sugar.
Wholemeal – follow the Basic recipe above but replace half of the plain flour with wholemeal flour.
Wholemeal and date – follow the Basic recipe above but replace half of the plain flour with wholemeal flour and after Step 3 add ¼ cup (45 gm) chopped dates and 1 tablespoon (15 gm) sugar.
