How you doin’? I love Quick Breads—don’t you? They certainly live up to their name. They're so quick and easy because they don't require yeast, kneading or extra time to proof. Instead of yeast, quick breads use instant leavenings like baking powder or baking soda (or both) to create the bubbles in the batter that makes the bread rise as it bakes. Muffins, pancakes, waffles, scones and biscuits are also considered quick-style breads.
 
Quick Breads are far more versatile than most other baked goods. They allow you greater freedom to add ingredients (like nuts and dried fruit) and make ingredient substitutions.
 
One of the great things about quick breads is that you can use the same batter to make all kind of things—loaves, muffins, coffeecakes, corn bread and Bundt cakes, however each size requires different baking times—and some may require different baking temperatures as well. The larger and thicker the loaf, the longer it's going to take to bake. So, if you're using a different size baking pan than your recipe calls for be sure to adjust the baking times accordingly.
 
This recipe comes from the brunch menu of the Palm Grill Restaurant in Burlingame, California. It was so popular we baked an additional 100 loaves each weekend to sell to be enjoyed outside the restaurant. The quick bread is tender, sweet and delicious every time!
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  1 hour
Additional:  5 minutes for cooling
Yield:  2 9-inch loaves / about 24 slices
 
Ingredients
For the quick bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons poppy seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons Fiori di Sicilia (see ChefSecret below)
 
1-1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1-1/2 cups whole milk
2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
 
For the glaze
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 cups confectioners' sugar
 
Directions
To make the cake

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Spray or butter bottoms of two 9-inch loaf pans.
3. Line the bottom of the loaf pans with parchment.
4. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds, Fiori di Sicilia, oil, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, almond extract and orange zest.
5. Pour into prepared pans.
6. Bake for one hour, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
7. Cool for 5 minutes.

To make glaze

1. Mix orange juice, extracts, orange zest and poppy seeds.
2. Add enough confectioners' sugar to make glaze.
3. Poke holes in top of Quick Bread loaves and pour the glaze over.

ChefSecret:  If you don’t have Fiori di Sicilia, a fragrant citrus extract, you can make your own using 2 parts vanilla extract, 1 part lemon extract and 1 part orange extract.

Quip of the Day: “Be decisive! Right or wrong, make a decision. The road of life is paved with flat squirrels who couldn’t make a decision.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Baking #QuickBread #OrangePoppySeed #Breakfast #Brunch #Snack  #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                          ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? When you are in a “lemony” mood, here is the perfect melt-in-your-mouth Lemon Cookie. If you love the freshness of tart lemons, then you’re going to love these cookies. They’re light and easy to make. With or without a tasty lemon glaze, they are sure to satisfy any lemon lover!
 
This cookie is very close to the original Girl Scout cookie from nearly 80 years ago.
 
In 2020, Savannah Smiles, the powder sugar-dusted lemon cookies that were brought back in 2012, were retired by Girl Scouts of America and replaced by a new lemon cookie—Lemon-Ups. The Girl Scouts organization works closely with its licensed bakers to replace cookies and bring new ones on to the market based on sales, flavor trends, and consumer preferences. Now you can try the lemon cookie that started all the fuss.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  10 minutes
Added time:  5 minutes
Yield:  24 cookies
 
Ingredients
For the cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
 
For the lemon glaze
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (strained)
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
 
Directions
To make the lemon cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Use a Silpat pad on 2 cookie sheets.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
4. Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed.
5. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
6. Beat in the sour cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and lemon extract.
7. Reduce speed to low; beat in the dry ingredients just until blended.
8. Use a #30 scoop (about 2 tablespoons) and drop the dough on the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are set and edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheets; then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
10. Dip the top of the slightly-cooled cookies into the glaze, twist and place on the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set up before storing them. 

To make the lemon glaze

1. In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, powdered sugar and zest until smooth.

Chefs Secret:  For best results, when making the cookie dough, add the granulated sugar after you’ve already creamed the butter.

Quip of the Day: “You know you’re getting old when you go to bed at about the same time you used to get dressed up to go out.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Desserts #Baking #Cookies #LemonCookies #IcedLemonCookies #GlazedLemonCookies #GirlScouts #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? Fasten your seat belt…  this is going to a long blog—but one that will make you a “perfect” pie maker. Did you know that pies are an All-American dessert? Pies are not difficult to make if you start with a well-prepared crust. Of course, you can use a store-bought frozen crust or a refrigerated roll-out crust, but it just isn’t the same. Why bother? Making a pie crust is a cinch. The following is trouble shooting guide to perfect pie crust and my famous Palm Grill Apple Pie. Let’s get going!
 
Do you have overcooked and cracked crusts, soggy bottoms, are they stogy with burnt edges and fruit slush inside the crust? Do your pie crusts poop-out at parties? You’re not the only one. These are the things that drive pie makers crazy, and it happens to even the most experienced pros. If you don’t bake pies on a regular basis, you can easily forget some of the most common solutions. Want the perfect pie that everyone’s talking about?...  then continuing reading.  If not go to the frozen pie section of your local supermarket or skip down to Granny Fanny’s recipe below.
 
Do you have a soggy bottom? Is your undercooked pie crust stuck to the bottom of the pie pan? 
This is horrible and unacceptable. Your top crust is beautiful and golden brown, your filling has achieved that perfect, firm yet a little gooey delicious texture. But when you attempt to serve a slice, your pie server only picks up the filling and top crust.  I hate when that happens! 
 

• Blind bake it:  You probably already know to do this with single crust, filled pies.  You can get a head start baking with a 12-to-15-minute blind bake of the bottom crust.  Use a little bit of brushed butter on the pan, layer in the crust, line with parchment or foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. 
• Waterproof it:  A leaky hull sunk the Titanic; don’t let excess moisture sink your pie. You can brush the raw bottom crust with egg wash. Long before the filling releases any pie-ruining liquid the egg will set-up the crust, leaving you with a crisp bottom. Another flavorful way to waterproof your bottom crust is to brush on some heated apricot jam. This also prevents soggy bottoms.
• Go lower and slower:  Preheat a sheet pan on the bottom rack of your oven.  Place your pie pan on a heated sheet pan. You’ll be cooking both up and down at the same time giving the bottom crust a bit of a head start. The radiant heat will cook the upper parts of the pie slower, allowing the crust to firm up at an even pace. I use metal pans as opposed to Pyrex pie plates to get a better, firmer bottom. 

 
Are your pies, soupy, sloppy and wet? 
You’ve got all these perfect, fresh ingredients and you’ve been peeling fruit all day. You’ve baked, what appears to be, the perfect apple pie for an hour or so and you come up with apple cider pie—wet, slushy and disgusting. 
 

• Give it a rest:  You’ve added that mysterious (or not) white powder which is some kind of starch—every fruit pie recipe needs starch as an ingredient, which allows the filling to thicken as it cooks and cools. Don’t be tempted to cut in and serve it right away; allow the pie time to rest to allow the juices to set up for about an hour after baking.
• Select the right fruit:  Let’s talk apples to apples. Did you know that there are over 7,500 varieties of apples and they can change in texture depending on the season or the longer they’re held? Soft eating apples don’t beat the heat. When baked in a pie they discharge too much water and get too mushy—applesauce soup. You want to bake pies with firm, tart apples—think Granny Smith, Golden Delicious or Braeburn. These apples will hold up best when baked and properly starched. My deep-dish pies all have between 4 and 5 pounds of fruit in them.
• Use the right starch:  I use a variety of starches depending on the desired result. My Grandma Fanny may have used just 3 or 4 tablespoons of flour or cornstarch for her 9-inch deep-dish apple pies, but there are other starches, such as tapioca starch and rice flour that are easily purchased. As a pie professional I like to use Instant Cleargel or arrowroot (available at King Arthur Flour). The last four starches never make the liquid cloudy after you bring them up to temperature, roughly 185°F to set the starch. 

 
Are your pies suffering from ‘gap-osis’? 
I prefer my fruit pies to be brim high, right up to the top crust—no gaps.
 

• The best crusts are made with a (50/50) combination of butter and lard: Butter gives you that wonderful buttery flavor and the lard can bake longer and still browns nicely. See my basic, never-fail pie crust recipe below.
• Escape, please! Let me go. As the fruit cooks it steams in the crust. It’s just dying to get out. You’ve got to let it go. If it isn’t a lattice crust you will need to cut escape vents to let it all out. Punch out some holes or cut about six 3-inch slits in the top crust. You can also make a decorative lattice top crust.
• Cook your apples first: My best apple pie recipe uses grilled apples—yes grilled. I core and cut apples into rounds or wedges and put them on the barbi. I like the grill marks and the caramelized flavor. You can also sauté them with butter and starch and then add the lightly cooked, but still firm apple filling to the prepared crust.

 
If you’re baking a pie a day you can master pieology in a week. If you are only baking pies once a year, there’s a lot to remember so keep this valuable cheat sheet holiday handy. 
 
                                            Ed’s Perfect Pie Crust
 
Prep Time:  30 minutes
Cool Time:  1 hour
Freeze Time:  30 minutes
Blind Baking Time:  12 to 15 minutes
Yield:  2 9-inch Single-Crust pies or 1 9-Inch Double-Crust Pie
 
Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup cold lard cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice-cold water
 
Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade briefly pulse the flour, sugar, and salt to mix. 
2. Add the butter and lard and pulse for 30 seconds or until coarse crumbs form. 
3. Add the lemon juice and water. Pulse just until the dough just starts to come together.  Do not over mix.
4. Turn the dough onto a work surface and gently shape it into two equal disks about 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic food film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

For a single-crust pie

1. Place one of the dough disks between two large pieces of lightly floured baking parchment and roll into a 14-inch-diameter round that’s 1/8 inch thick.  
2. Remove the top sheet of parchment and gently roll the dough around the pin and position the pin over the pie pan. Unroll, carefully easing the dough into the pan, gently but firmly pressing the dough against the sides and bottom, taking care not to pull or stretch. 
3. Trim the edge of the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch margin from the outer edge of the pan. Tuck this dough under to shape a high edge crust that rests on top of the rim. Pinch, crimp and poke with a fork to allow the steam to escape.

For blind baking

1. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes before baking. 
2. Preheat the oven to 425° F. 
3. Line the frozen crust with a large piece of foil, fill with pie weights (or dried beans or rice), and bake 12 minutes until set. 
4. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking the shell until golden, about 3 to 8 minutes longer, checking for bubbles (push them down gently with the back of a spoon).
5. Let the crust cool and then brush with egg wash or warm apricot jam.
6. Place the filling into the shell. Lightly, brush the edge of the bottom crust with water.  Roll the top crust around the pin and position it over the filled pie. Gently unroll, centering the dough over filling. 
7. Press the edges together and trim the top crust so it’s 1/2 inch larger than the outer edge of the pie pan. Tuck this dough under itself to shape a high crust edge that rests on top of the rim. Pinch and crimp. 
8. With a paring knife, slash 6 vent holes in the top crust.
9. Bake following the pie recipe directions.

 
ChefSecret:  If only making a single crust you can freeze the second dough disk wrapped in food film for up to 3 months.
 
                           Granny Fanny’s Deep-Dish Apple Pie Filling
 
Prep Time:  30 minutes
Inactive Time:  30 minutes
Bake Time:  1 to 1-1/4 hours
Yield:  1 (9-or 10-inch) double-crusted pie
 
Ingredients
4 or 5 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, and cored, soaked in lemon water
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rum
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 teaspoon to sprinkle on top
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or 3 tablespoons of corn starch or other starch)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
 
Directions

1. Follow the directions for making a perfect pie crust above. 
2. Preheat an oven to 400⁰ F.
3. Cut each apple quarter in half crosswise and combine in a bowl with the zests, juices, vanilla extract, rum, 1/2 cup sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
4. Sauté the filling until lightly thickened for about 5 minutes. It will get thicker as it bakes in the oven.
5. Pour the filling onto the blind-baked pie bottom crust.
6. Carefully place the top crust over the filling per the instructions above.
7. Brush the entire top crust with the egg wash, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, and cut six 3-inch slits.
8. Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake for 1 to 1-1/4 hours, or until the crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble out.  Let the pie cool for at least 1 to 2 hours before serving to set the starches and sugars.

ChefSecret:  I have lots of secrets. Do you need a pie recipe and can’t find that perfect one? Just ask. I have a recipe for any type, flavor and kind of pie—over 500 of them. Just ask by sending me an email at ed@perspectives-la.com.

Quip of the Day: “Some of us are very fearful of Alexa listening in on all our conversations; now Amazon is making a male version which won’t listen to anything.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Desserts #PerfectPies #ApplePie #PerfectPieCrust #DeepDishPie #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’?  Anybody who knows anything about my food likes and dislikes knows that doughnuts are top on my LIKES list. I specifically love Apple Fritters… a form of doughnuts without the hole. They taste great, last two days and are usually the biggest doughnut in the case.
 
The doughnut business is a dollar business—you lose money by dollars—you make money by pennies, nickels and dimes—so, controlling food costs and waste are as important as bringing customers in the door.
 
Verne Winchell, who launched a nationwide doughnut franchise business from one drive-through restaurant he opened in 1948 in Temple City, was credited for “inventing” Apple Fritters and God bless him for his efforts.
 
Winchell became the chief executive and president of Denny’s Inc., which bought Winchell’s Donut Houses in 1968. He took over Denny’s when it was in deep trouble and was able to slowly nurse it back to health.
 
Winchell was a serial entrepreneur and by the time he started his doughnut empire he already owned Winchell Music (a jukebox business) and Winchell Motors (a used car dealership). In the 1950’s a friend told Winchell there were high margins on doughnuts. He took a $27,000 stake in the business and turned a piece of commercial property he already owned into his first Winchell’s doughnut shop. He invested an additional $300 for a used shallow fish fryer (thoroughly cleaned, I hope), a couple of stainless steel worktables, a dough roller and a bakery funnel. The shop did well and was followed by the opening of several more stores.  His doughnut shops took off and Winchell expanded his operation throughout California.
 
Winchell’s keys to success include careful management, good merchandising and advertising, proper locations, quality products and the reduction in waste. He introduced the Apple Fritter to use the scraps of all the different doughs and piled them high around canned apple pie filling, frying them like regular doughnuts and glazing them over with leftover doughnut glaze.
 
Over the years, Winchell acquired racehorses, too. One named Donut King (also his own nickname) was the first horse Winchell bought at auction. The horse was among the favorites for the 1954 Kentucky Derby but was injured the week of the race and didn’t run.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Fry time: about 4-5 minutes each
Additional time:  10 minutes
Yield:  16 small size apple fritters / or 8 large fritters
 
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice cuts
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sparkling apple cider
2 cups vegetable oil for frying
 
For the glaze
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, or more as needed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sparkling apple cider, or as needed to make glaze
 
Directions
To make the apples

1. Melt the butter over medium-high heat and cook until it turns golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the diced apples and cook over medium-high heat until the apples just begin to soften around the edges, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon sugar and continue cooking another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Drain in a strainer; let cool to room temperature.

To make the fritter dough

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl until well combined.
2. Whisk the egg, 1/4 cup sugar and melted butter together in a separate mixing bowl.
3.  Add the cooled apple pieces and sparkling apple cider; add the flour mixture. Stir just until flour is incorporated.
4. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350⁰ F.
5. Spoon about 3 tablespoons batter per fritter, into hot oil, slightly flattening them out. Cook in batches.
6. Fry on one side until small bubbles appear on the surface, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip fritters over and fry on the other side until richly browned, about 2 more minutes.
7. Transfer the fritters with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain oil.
8. Cool slightly before glazing.

To make the glaze

1. Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add enough apple cider, 1 teaspoon at a time, to form a smooth glaze that is just runny enough to drizzle over the fritters.

ChefSecret:  If you are looking to save a little time, replace the cooking apple procedure with canned Comstock brand apple pie filling. 

Quip of the Day: “Anybody who can do at 65 years of age what they were doing at 25, wasn’t do much at 25.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? It’s back-to-school time, and these cookies will improve any student’s attitude in just one bite. Our best-selling confections at Choclatique were truffles that incorporated both chocolate and peanut butter. But we weren’t the first ones to discover the magic in this combination. H. B. Reese, a former dairy farmer from Hershey, Pennsylvania, created the original Peanut Butter Cup in 1928. A peanut butter cup is a wonderful confection filled with peanut butter and enrobed in chocolate.
 
This yummy peanut butter cookie recipe is baked in a small muffin tin with a mini-peanut butter cup pressed into a hot, just out-of-the-oven cookie before it has time to cool and set. This is a peanut butter cookie fancier’s dream. 
 
Prep Time:  25 minutes
Baked Time:  10 minutes
Cool time:  3 minutes
Yield: 12 to 15 cookies
 
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whole milk
12 to 15 mini-peanut butter cups (I prefer the original Reese’s)
 
Directions:
1.    Preheat an oven to 375⁰ F.
2.    Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.
3.    Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until very fluffy.
4.    Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and milk.
5.    Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into 12 to 15 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
6.    Bake for about 8 minutes until they just turn light brown.
7.    Remove from the oven and immediately press a peanut butter cup into the hot center of each cookie.
8.    Cool the muffin pan on a rack for about 30 minutes. 
9.    Carefully remove each cookie from the pan.

ChefSecret: There is only one way I know to make a great thing even better. Smear a little grape jelly on top of the baked cookie and then push in the peanut butter cup.

Quip of the Day: “A million kids want to clean up the earth—a million parents would be grateful if they started with their room.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We have added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Desserts #Cookies #PeanutButter #PeanutButterCups #Reeses #BackToSchoolTreats #NationalPeanutBoard #NPB #PeanutFarmers #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                        ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021