Masala Chai Recipes

So. I love coffee. But I have found something that I love as much, if not more. Now, don't get me wrong - coffee isn't going anywhere, and it's still slightly maintaining its edge as the default brew at home. But just barely.

Oooohhh, chai. Mmmmmm. Now, I probably enjoy tea more than most in the Colonies. I mean, ever since we threw it out with the baby in Boston, tea lost its luster over here. We don't have the ritual, we don't have the "high" or the "low" -- hell, we don't really know what those mean. But tea is good. And I like a good, strong black - or a subtle white - or a fresh, grassy green - or a vibrant maté - or a bright, ruby rooibos - or -- well, you get my point. I like just about all of 'em, straight, with milk/cream, with or without sweetener, big mugs, tiny cups at every Chinese restaurant, hot or iced. But there's one that I love more than all of the others.

Chai.

It's something about those spices. Maybe it's because I love the scents of the holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas. The cinnamons, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. And thanks to my parents and living in Germany, pepper and cardamom - any year without a soft, homemade, mellowed Pfeffernüsse is a year lacking in my book. And chai puts all those together into a warm, tasty, comfy ambrosia.

Ahem. Even if you don't like it as much as me, these are pretty good. Give 'em a try.

Refrigerator Chai

This might be considered cheating - but I thought it brilliant when I stumbled across this in a tea book (Chai, the Spice Tea of India, by Diana Rosen - I think the original is Sally Champe’s recipe.) at a friend's place. By using sweetened instead of unsweetened condensed milk, I don't have to worry about a sweetener - which is also why I've increased the spice amounts so I don't over-sweeten.

• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/3 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Pour the entire can of milk into a clean, dry jar with an airtight lid. Add all the spices, stir, cover and store in the refrigerator - the longer the spices marry, the better this tastes.

To use, brew some very hot, strong black tea, and add 2-3 tablespoons (to taste). It's that easy.

Masala Chai

Now, I prefer a strong chai, so I like to boil the spices, then allow the black tea to steep for a good amount of time. I've tried, but don't like boiling the tea - it just gets too bitter and you are forced to add too much sweetener. By boiling first, then steeping below the boil I've found you can get really strong spice and tea flavors, and the slight bitterness from steeping longer than 5-6 minutes is counteracted by a reasonable amount of sweetener. Of course, you can always make a stronger tea with less time by using more tea.

• 6 whole cloves
• 4 green cardamom pods, crushed and lightly toasted
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
• 1 tsp ginger, (chop for stronger flavor, slice into rounds for milder)
• 1/4 tsp black peppercorn, (whole, crushed or ground - stronger flavor the more you grind)
• 1/8 tsp fennel, lightly toasted
• 1/8 tsp cumin or coriander, lightly toasted

You can toast any, all or none of the spices. I think it helps bring out the flavor. It's up to you.

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp black tea, loose leaf (Assam is a good option)

Boil the spices in the water for 5-10 minutes. Add the milk and sugar and bring back just to a boil. Remove from heat and add tea, steep for 3-10 minutes. Strain and serve. Sweeten to taste.

I've found that making a big batch and re-warming the tea works just fine - as long as I don't re-boil it, it doesn't get too bitter, and that second cup after it's been sitting for 30 minutes... might be my favorite of the batch. Also, play with the recipe - if you don't like fennel, reduce it or take it out. Or if there's a ground spice, grind it less or not at all. As a matter of fact, I often use ground cardamom since I love the flavor and get it easier than the pods.

It's your tea, make it your masala.

What's NOT good about melted cheese and flaky dough?

I heard a tale of woe today. The puff pastry, well -- didn't.
Puff, that is.

And that got me thinking about one of the easiest and most "impressive" presentations you can make using this little puffy miracle - brie en croute. I recall rushing at the last minute for a murder mystery that Sara and I were hosting, and we needed something to inspire awe and amazement just in case my first-ever-attempt-with-no-practice-at-a-braciole didn't turn out well, and so I threw this thing together about 10 minutes before the guests arrived. Which ended up perfectly since they got to see the beauty come out of the oven with their wine already in hand!

Brie en croute

• 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
• 1 small wheel of brie
• 1/4 c chopped walnuts (or pistachios, pecans, whatever nut you like)
• 1/4 c brown sugar (or honey)
• egg wash (1 egg plus 1 tbsp water)

Preheat oven to 400F. Gently roll the pastry to remove lines and increase size 1-2 inches. Place the wheel of brie in middle of pastry. Top with walnuts. Top with sugar. Draw up corners of pastry to the middle of the topped brie and gently press to seal, using egg wash as glue if needed. Brush remaining egg wash over top to help with browning. Bake 20-30 minutes at 400F or until nicely browned. Rest 3-5 mins (or longer if firmer brie is desired). Cut and enjoy with crackers or bread!

Variations:

• You can toast, brown, saute or candy the nuts before you package them up. I prefer a quick brown in a little butter (this isn't a diet dish), but toasting is quicker if you're in a hurry.
• Honey works just as well as brown sugar - and you can pre-mix it with your nuts and any other flavorings (like fresh herbs maybe? Rosemary or mint?)
• You can fold up the pastry neatly, or kind of pull it all up and make it messy - either way turns out pretty after baking. And you can always trim the edges, and put the trimmings on top as decoration, using that egg wash again.

It's so good, looks so good, and is too easy not to add to your emergency list.

Oh, and the braciole did come out perfectly (wish I could remember what recipe that was!), the party was a huge success, and it didn't end until the baseball player fell asleep with flapper gloves on cuddled up with the liter of Jack he successfully befriended -- and then killed. You had to be there...

Good luck, Bon Appetit, Ita-daki-mas!

Pizza Doughs

Pizza. Toppings are, of course, important. But how many times has a pie been judged by whether the crust is better than the next shop down the street? Here are a few of the recipes that I have - just keep in mind that dough is always better when it's had a chance to rise. It'll have better texture, body and taste - so if you can, use a recipe that calls for the dough to double in size. You'll end up with a light, airy crust, with more spring and stretchiness, which will also let you roll (or toss) a thinner crust that won't fall prey to holes.

Having said that, it's also fantastic to have a scratch dough made in about 15 minutes so you can do your own pizza any day after work. All the recipes here have been used pretty dang successfully with nothing more than a 10-15 minute rest while I prep the rest of the ingredients. (Still, a rise is better - or make some dough on the weekend, and refrigerate it till you want it that week for the best of both!)

General Tips/Info:

• Honey: I love using it with wheat doughs - there's not much in there, but I think it makes a difference in flavor!
• Method: I like to make sure my little yeasties are active by...
1. Proofing your yeast
• Confirms your yeast are still alive and burping. (A Good Thing.)
• Allows your yeast to wake up and start working (A Really Good Thing if you are not doing a full rise).
2. Mix your liquids
3. Mix your dry
4. Add liquids to the dry
• Note: You can also treat your yeast like a dry ingredient if you're really in a hurry (as in a couple recipes below), but I prefer to proof first.
• Humidity: How much water is needed will differ if you are in a dry clime, like, say - Phoenix, vs. a humid South Florida or Michigan. Always be prepared to adjust depending on your environs.

What should my dough feel like?

• Adjectives: smooth, satiny, like a baby's butt.
• Pictures: (I'll keep looking for some good examples of just right/too wet/too dry dough)
• Too Dry? Add water by the teaspoonful and allow to incorporate before adding more.
• Too Wet? Add flour by the tablespoonful and allow to incorporate before adding more.

White vs. Wheat

• White and Bread flours are typically more glutinous and will be stretchier, stronger and can be made thinner than Wheat.
• Most Wheat pizza doughs are actually blends - about 40-60% Wheat flour with the complement All-Purpose or Bread flour. You can make an all wheat pizza dough, but it will probably need extra time and...
• Wheat will likely require more liquid - be prepared to tweak and add a little more water if necessary.

My Almost Instant Wheat Pizza Dough

• 1 package active dry yeast (instant or quick-rising)
• 1 tablespoon honey (or white sugar)
• 1 cup warm water (110-120 degrees F)
• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Dissolve a teaspoon of honey (or sugar) in 1/4 cup of the warm water. Gently stir in your yeast and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Dissolve remaining honey in the rest of the water. When your yeast has proofed, mix all liquids in to the dry. Knead into a ball and let rest, covered while you prep your toppings (10-15 mins). Preheat oven to 425F. Roll or toss, top, and bake for 13-17 minutes.

Andrea Meyers' Quick Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Andrea has a recipe designed for a KitchenAid stand mixer, if you'd like to use your dough hook. Any of these doughs can be done this way and you won't have to manually knead (though I kinda like it).

• 1 scant cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast or 1 package quick-rising yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¾ cup hot water (approximately 115°F)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• coarse cornmeal, for sprinkling on the peel

Eating Well's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
And this is a recipe for a food processor...

• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 2¼ teaspoons fast rising yeast, such as Fleischmann's Rapid Rise (1 packet)
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ½ - 2/3 cup hot water (120-130 degrees)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Jamie Oliver's pizza dough starter
This is a great dough, though you'll need to be able to weigh your ingredients to follow it as written (measuring by weight is recommended and more accurate in most baking situations). Also, check Jamie's page for the description of how he brings it together without a bowl - pretty cool, and it really works!

• 1kg strong white bread flour or Tipo ‘00’ flour or 800g strong white bread flour or Tipo ‘00’ flour, plus 200g finely ground semolina flour
• 1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
• 2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast
• 1 tablespoon golden caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 650ml lukewarm water

Good luck, Bon Appetit, Ita-daki-mas!

Hollah! Or Challah. Hell, I hollah for Challah!

Was that blasphemy? Hmm.

So I've loved this bread, well, forever. And I love making it. So if you want some of the tenderest, moistest, goldenest, yummiest, prettiest bread ever, go for it.

Challah

• 2 1/4 c. very warm water
• 2 pkg. dry yeast
• 7 1/2 to 8 c. all purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 2 T. salt
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1/2 c. sugar

Dough-ing

1. Combine water, yeast and 1 T. sugar in a large mixing bowl; let stand 2 minutes.
2. Stir in 2 c. flour; let stand uncovered 30 minutes.
3. Stir in 2 eggs, salt butter, 1/2 c. sugar and 2 c. more flour. Beat smooth and then stir in enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough.
4. Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface (use some of remaining flour) and knead for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and satiny, adding only as much of the remaining flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking.
5. Place dough in a greased bowl; turn once to bring greased side up. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
6. Butter 2 large baking sheets.
7. Punch down dough, turn out onto a floured surface and cut in half.

Braiding

Form a braid with each half of the dough:
1. Cut in two pieces, one twice as large as the other. Cut the large piece into 3 equal pieces roll each into a 14-inch long sausage, and braid the 3 together.
2. Pinch ends to seal, and place on the baking sheet.
3. Cut the smaller piece likewise and braid likewise, starting with sausage shapes about 12 inches long. Place atop the larger braid.
4. Cover gently and let rise until almost double in bulk, about 45 minutes.
5. Beat remaining egg with remaining 1 T. sugar, and brush over top of loaves. (Avoid gluing the dough to the baking sheet with a drip of egg.)

Baking

1. Bake at 350 degrees 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Cool on a wire rack.

Eating

• I think y'all got this part... Ohhh, yeah... :)

Moroccan Shrimp w/ Pomegranate Sauce

So, apparently this is really a politics and recipe blog... Not really a normal combination!

Moroccan Shrimp w/ Pomegranate Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 qt pomegranate juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (orange juice works well too!)
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups (4 oz) baby arugula (any tender or baby green is nice)

Directions

1. In a pot over high heat, stir together pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice until sugar dissolves. Boil until liquid thickens and is reduced to 1 cup, about 45 min.
2. Meanwhile, toss shrimp with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt and olive oil and stir to coat.
3. In a bowl, toss arugula with extra lemon juice and olive oil if desired. Place on a platter.
4. Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook 2 min per side until pink and opaque (I choose to grill mine rather than do them in a pan. I use a grill cage and cook them for about 4-6 minutes, depending on the heat of the grill.); place on top of arugula. Pour sauce in a small dish for dipping. Makes 10 servings, or 4 servings for main course.

Nutrition Facts Calories 45, Total Fat (g) 1, Saturated Fat (g) 0, Cholesterol (mg) 11, Sodium (mg) 86, Carbohydrate (g) 7, Fiber (g) 0, Protein (g) 2, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Source: Ladies Home Journal, Apr 09