…from the Perspectives’ Ovenow you doin’? I am constantly asked, do you put coffee in a coffee cake recipe? The answer is not necessarily. While some early versions of coffee cake did contain coffee, this snack cake is meant to be an accompaniment, not a cake full of caffeine. Most have simple sugar and cinnamon fillings, with variations using chocolate, nuts, fruit and cream cheese to complement the delicate flavor of the cake. Nothing goes better with a steaming cup of “joe” than a perfectly spiced slice of coffee cake. The enticing aroma, ribbons of sugar and cinnamon filling, and traditional crumb topping make it a treat at breakfast, a midday indulgence or a midnight snack. Coffee cakes are synonymous with casual dining and, best of all, they don't require any of the fuss of frosted, labor-intensive cakes. Coffee cakes can be baked with just a few pantry staples. What a great way to start the day! Coffee cake, or Kaffekuchen, is a single layer cake with a sweet, sugar-cinnamon-layer of--and topped with--a streusel made from flour, butter and sugar. Both yeast and baking powder can be used to give lift to coffee cakes, with some versions presented as a braided ring or lattice-style like a babka. Coffee cakes became popular soon after coffee was introduced to Europe in the 17th century. German, Dutch, and Scandinavian communities began to pair spiced sweet breads with the new world beverage. A ritual called kaffeeklatsch emerged, where people would gather for caffeine, sugar and neighborhood gossip. These groups continued their coffeehouse traditions when they came to America. As coffee became more prevalent in the U.S. and more affordable to all, coffee cakes became a treat for Americans both wealthy and working-class. By the late 1800's, several coffee cake recipes made their way into American cookbooks, boosting the popularity of the humble dessert even higher. Coffee cakes use basic pantry ingredients like flour, brown and granulated sugar, and baking powder to create a basic recipe. Many recipes call for milk or sour cream to maximize moisture and to create a perfect texture. No need to frost or glaze (but you can sugar glaze, if desired). The thick buttery streusel topping acts as delicious baked-on finish. Simply combine cake ingredients, then top with the streusel crumbs for a delightfully crisp layer. Coffee cakes are budget-friendly, totally customizable, and great for making ahead. Make your own luscious, shareable cake with this tasty recipe. Prep time: 25 minutes Bake time: 35 minutes Yield: 10 to 12 servings Ingredients For the streusel topping 1 cup brown sugar 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract 5 tablespoons butter, melted For the coffee cake batter 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup butter 2 large eggs 1/2 cup half-and-half 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Directions To make the streusel topping
To make the coffee cake batter
ChefSecret: I prefer a nice thick, crisp streusel topping. If you prefer more cake with a lighter topping, cut the streusel recipe in half. Quip of the Day: The best way to teach your kids about taxes is to reward them with a slice of warm coffee cake after finishing a chore, then taking 30% of their cake and eating it yourself. ------------------------------------------- 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, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Baking #CoffeeCake #Coffee #Treat #Dessert #Brunch #Breakfast #BrunchCake #MidnightSnack #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024
0 Comments
… from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? Clynn was the purchasing vice president for one of our clients. We traveled to Indonesia and the Philippines looking for shrimp, lobster and furniture (for the dining rooms, of course). We got to Jakarta just about a day after terrorists had bombed the club at the Marriott Hotel. Security was in full force as we attempted to check into the Hyatt, which took over an hour. There were anti-American demonstrations going on throughout the city and we were told by the embassy personnel to be on alert… whatever the hell that meant. As the call for prayers sounded, Clynn thought it would be a good idea to go for a walk and explore Jakarta. I was skeptical, but I can usually blend into the background, so I agreed. But Clynn is a big gregarious man who is easily recognized as a foreigner—American—at his over six foot four height. We walked for a couple of blocks with suspicious stares from the locals until a policeman pulled us aside and told us to get off the street as it wasn’t safe. That night we met up with a couple of Clynn’s suppliers who took us to a dancing club that served liquor. After being searched for guns and bombs we got in, but after a few minutes and hearing about the unrest in the city we thought it best to return to the safety of our hotel. You may think, what does this all have to do with granola? Absolutely nothing! This is just a reminiscence of an old friend that managed to survive the perils of traveling to countries that are not so welcoming to Americans. This delicious Granola recipe was created and perfected by Clynn during the pandemic. Enjoy! Ingredients 8 cups rolled oats (original, not quick cook) 1 cup instant powdered milk (not instant milk) 1 cup flake or shredded coconut 1 cup brown sugar (or 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup honey) 1/2 cup hot water 1/2 cup peanut oil 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 cup shelled walnuts 1 cup shelled pecans 1 cup hulled pumpkin seeds 1 cup hulled sunflower seeds 1/4 cup flax seeds 1/4 cup sprouted hemp seeds 1/4 cup chia seeds 1 cup craisins 1cup of raisins 1/4 cup dried Gogi berries Directions
ChefSecrets: You may want to cut this recipe in half to first test the recipe to suit your own tastes. This is enough for about two weeks. Quip of the Day: Q. What do you call a granola with a serious attitude? A. ‘Cereal killer’. ------------------------------------------- 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, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Granola #Cereal #RolledOats #Snack #Breakfast #Brunch #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ Kitchenow you doin’? Buckle your seatbelt, this is going to be a long one. Anybody that knows me, knows my love for doughnuts. It all started when I would collect on my paper route. There was a Winchell’s Doughnuts on Pico and La Cienega Boulevards in Los Angeles. That’s where I first met Vern Winchell who treated me to a box of a baker’s dozen. I think the intention was for me to take them home and I’m ashamed to say they never got there—I ate them all while pedaling my bike back home. The fact is I just love good doughnuts—there really is no such thing as bad doughnuts… some are just better than others. A few years back, Joan found donut pans on Amazon and gifted them to me. Since we both love doughnuts, we had a couple of sets delivered to the test kitchen. We set out to make all types of doughnuts and over the years, we have made some really good ones—all kinds of both plain and exotic flavors. I bake a batch of bran muffins weekly but realized I hadn’t made donuts for some time. I decided to make vanilla frosted cake doughnuts since they’re Joan’s favorite. I had them ready for the oven in no time and once baked, the donuts were incredibly moist and glazed to perfection. I only baked off half of the batter and had enough batter left to bake off the next morning. See the recipe toward the end of this post. But where did all these delicious pastries come from and why do some people consider them the best breakfast treat available? Well, here is the rest of the story I found in Eater Magazine authored by Claudia Geib. As she explained it, even during the worst of war, the ring-shaped confections offered a bite of joy and a much-needed morale boost to weary soldiers during World War I. Dough fried in oil is a delicacy found worldwide… in Italy it’s zeppole, from Greek loukoumades to Moroccan sfenj to jalebi in India and Pakistan. But in North America at the start of the 1900s, fried dough balls were a regional specialty mostly confined to New England, New York and a few places in the Midwest. Just 50 years later, doughnuts would be Americans’ treat of choice—ubiquitous in break rooms, beloved of cops and, more recently, made fancy by hipsters. But few people know that the doughnut might never have made it big without a world war or two. In a new episode of Gastropod, “Raised and Glazed,” co-hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley explore the evolution of the doughnut… where the name comes from, how it got a hole and how it became ubiquitous across the United States thanks to the efforts of a few female volunteers working on the front lines of global conflict. When the United States joined World War I, the Salvation Army sent women to the front in France with a few simple instructions: Lead the men in prayers; play music; comfort the wounded and the dying; and, most importantly, do whatever they could to keep up morale. Conditions on the Western Front were grim. As Salvation Army leader Evangeline Booth recalled in her memoirs of the war, the rain had combined with heavy bombing to turn the entire landscape into a swamp, and “depression like a great heavy blanket hung over the whole area.” The women made cocoa, fudge, and apple pies to lift men’s spirits. But pies were difficult to make — achieving a flaky crust was tricky in the trenches — and sometime in late September 1917, Salvation Army volunteer Helen Purviance suggested focusing on a simpler treat. She and her colleagues could combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, and milk to make doughnut dough. Then they could fry their creations in a steel soldier’s helmet filled with boiling lard. The front cover of the songbook for “My Doughnut Girl” displays a girl who appears to be in her mid-teens carrying the doughnuts that rose to fame during the war effort were originally made with one goal in mind: Maintaining morale. New York: The Salvation Army National Headquarters, [1919] /Library of Congress, Music Division. The women rolled the doughnuts out with a grape juice bottle, cut them out with a baking powder can, and poked a hole in the middle using a funnel. Dusted with powdered sugar and handed out hot by the thousands, the treats produced by the “doughnut Sallies,” as the women soon became known, instantly became a hit among the men. Even for men who hadn’t come from a doughnut-loving region of the States, the fried rings came to symbolize everything good and comforting. “Newspapers would describe the soldiers looking through the hole in the donut and seeing their mother on the other side,” Michael Krondl, author of The Donut, told Gastropod. “It was a beautiful thing.” Though the Salvation Army only sent 250 volunteers to the front, these women had a disproportionate impact on the soldier’s psyche; the treats “put pep in every doughboy,” Salvation Army Colonel William Barker told a reporter from the Boston Daily Globe. “Every doughboy felt his mother was somewhere just back of the lines in the midnight mists and damps, frying doughnuts for him just as she used to do.” (Incidentally, the “doughboy” moniker originated from the Mexican-American War, and it had nothing to do with doughnut consumption at all.) It got to the point that military command would pull strings to ensure that donut-making supplies made it through, despite the fact that the French were surviving on black bread. “The American soldiers take their hats off to the Salvation Army,” wrote a New York Times correspondent in 1918, “and when the memoirs of this war come to be written the doughnuts and apple pies of the Salvation Army are going to take their place in history.” Even men who didn’t come from doughnut-loving regions of the United States were willing to sing the praises of doughnut girls and their creations. Popular culture brought this newfound love of doughnuts back home. Songs like “My Doughnut Girl” and films like Fires of Faith, which featured scenes of a Salvation Army Sally distributing doughnuts to bedridden men, helped cement the doughnut’s new status as an American icon. Doughnut entrepreneurs popped up, ready to supply a nation suddenly hungry for the treats feeding the troops, and companies advertised mixes that allowed the home baker to make doughnuts themselves. When fighting ended, the Salvation Army continued to sell doughnuts to raise money through the 1920s and the Great Depression; and when war broke out again in Europe, volunteers from both the Salvation Army and the Red Cross once again brought doughnuts to the front. They were assisted by a newfangled invention: an automatic doughnut-making machine, which allowed doughnuts to be made faster and in greater quantities than ever before. Post-war, doughnuts continued their spread across the country, fitting perfectly with the newly industrialized landscape, the rise of the automobile, and the growth of women in the workforce. For a whole new class of car-based commuters, a doughnut shop became the perfect place to stop for coffee and a sweet circular cake for breakfast. If you like donuts as much as I do, try my recipe out. If you don’t have a donut pan, I highly recommend getting one, but you can also pipe the batter into circles on a sheet pan as a less-expensive substitute. Ingredients For the doughnuts 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 large egg 6 tablespoons sour cream 1/4 cup whole milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil For the vanilla glaze 2 cups confectioners’ sugar 6 tablespoons whole milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Directions To make the doughnuts
To make the glaze
ChefSecret: If you find yourself in the Las Vegas area the best and most creative doughnuts can be found at Pink Box. Be creative as they are and decorate your doughnuts with all kinds of goodies. Quip of the Day: Knock Knock. Who’s there? Donut. Donut who? Donut ask, it’s a secret! ------------------------------------------- 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, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Baking #Treat #Dessert #Donut #PinkBox #BakedDonuts #FriedDonuts #GlazedDonuts #ChocolateDonuts #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ KitchenHow you doin’? A couple of weeks ago we met a client at a new age Mexican restaurant called Borracha located at Green Valley in Henderson, NV. They have a diverse menu of delicious Mexican entrees, but at Borracha, queso is the star of the show! What is Queso Fundido (emphasis on FUN)? It is nothing less than fondue with a south-of-the-border accent! Queso Fundido is not only fun to eat but fun to make, too. Picture this… a pot of sharp and flavorful cheese that looks and smells so scrumptious melting on the stove. I thought about skipping the part where it gets bubbly in the oven and going straight for the chips. And yet, the real beauty of this dish is all the interesting stuff going on below the surface of the cheese—every bite is full of chewy, spicy chorizo, crunchy Anaheim peppers, and tangy onion—almost the same as Borracha. Crisp corn tortilla chips are the classic vehicle for scooping up Queso. That said, Queso also tastes amazing wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla—it’s like a super fancy quesadilla. Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Bake time: 10 minutes Ingredients 4 ounces spicy ground chorizo 1 cup minced sweet yellow onion 1 Anaheim pepper, seeded with ribs removed and cut into long strips 2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese 2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 2 thinly sliced radishes (optional top garnish) Warm salted corn tortilla chips for scooping Directions
ChefSecret: Queso Fundido is the perfect snack for a last-minute Friday Happy Hour or a March Madness watch party. It comes together in about 20 minutes and perhaps more importantly, it pairs remarkably well with a cerveza fria (cold beer). A crisp, clean Modelo Especial will cut right through all that gloriously salty cheese and leave your palate ready for the next bite! I personally like a Grit—a premium margarita made with Patron tequila—stirred and not shaken. Quip if the Day: Q: What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? A: Nacho cheese! ------------------------------------------- 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, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #Entree #Appetizer #QuesoFundido #Queso #CheeseDip #Cheese #TortillaChips #MarchMadnessSnacks #Dinner #2024Recipes #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 …from the Perspectives’ KitchenThis Valentine’s Surprise Brownie Kiss Truffles recipe is easy to make and easier to love. With fudgy brownie on the outside and Hershey’s Kisses Vanilla Frosting on the inside. The candy hidden on the inside will surprise your guests and even yourself with how delicious they are. Bookmark this recipe because you can customize every batch with your favorite toppings like seasonal sprinkles, coconut flakes or chopped nuts. You can also use another flavored Kiss to make every bite a surprise. Prep time: 25 minutes Bake time: 35 minutes Cool time: 2 hours Yield: 36 truffles Ingredients 1 pan fudgy brownie from mix or your favorite brownies recipe (13 x 9 x 2-inch) 36 Hershey's Kisses Vanilla Frosting Filled Milk Chocolates 1 cup roasted finely chopped nuts of your choice, lightly toasted sweetened coconut flakes, sprinkles or nonpareils for rolling. Directions
ChefSecret: You can mix up your flavor of Kisses and the crumbles coating the outside of your truffle to suit any holiday or celebration or just your own whims. Storage: Store truffles in a closed container in your refrigerator for up to 7 days. Quip of the Day: Let’s seal our love with a Hershey’s Kiss. ------------------------------------------- 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, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross. #ValentinesSurprise #BrownieKissTruffles #Hershey #BrownieTruffles #HappyValentinesDay #2024 #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2024 |
For over 4 decades collaboration and vision have been the cornerstones of our approach to developing innovative solutions. We fuel innovation, uncover opportunities, discover trends and embrace sustainability, turning imaginative ideas into profitable realities. Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|