eatpress

We constantly remake most of the recipes on eatpress.  It’s like our online recipe-book that we like to share with others, but we use it more than anyone! There are lots of family recipes here that we bake and re-bake all the time, sometimes with a twist.  For instance, the Milk bread rolls we bake, often turn into either cinnamon scrolls or coconut buns.  The vanilla cookies we always bake for valentines day, often get made in other sandwiches forms.  Scones we make every Sunday, usually classic, but sometimes with nuts added.  So today we thought we’d share some of our favourite twists on recipes already here.

Coconut scrolls

Using the Milk bread rolls recipe.

Plus:

• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/4 c milk
• 3/4 c shredded coconut

In a saucepan on medium heat, add all 3 ingredients and stir gently until the mixture thickens slightly.  This will take only about 3-5 minutes, don’t left it get too hot.  Then turn off the heat and let stand.

Once the dough is made and has risen one time.  You want to roll it out on a floured surface into about a 40cm x 25cm (15 x 9 in) rectangle. Spread coconut mixture all over dough – it will be a little messy! Beginning at the long side, roll up dough into a long log and pinch the edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15  roughly 5cm (2 in) slices.

Grease the bottom of baking pan with butter. Place coconut roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about another hour. Bake for about 25 – 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

……………………………

Vanilla sandwich cookies

Use our classic vanilla cookie recipe AND the decorator frosting recipe.  Before baking, cut the cookies with a larger cutter and then cut out a little circle from the middle of half the cookies. Bake as usual and when cooled spread the topside of finished cookies with frosting and quickly sandwich together – the frosting will set and the cookies double in value!

What are your favourite re-mixed recipes?  Ever made a variation of an eatpress recipe?  We’d love to hear it.

Song for these recipes:

“Kiss” Daft Punk Remix (This is a tricky track to find, but I’m sure if you search you will find!)

Remix recipes while listening to remixes? OK! Daft Punk, what a great time they bring me back to. Listening to Discovery on repeat, while grinding glass for my honours year at University, pretty much in syn with my friend Mere. We listened to that disc like crazy, dancing away with our no-skip disc-mans. And Prince – how could you ever go wrong with Prince? I love that he appears occasionally here in Montreal while the jazz festival is on and does a couple of surprise shows at various secret locations. What a self-loving/loveable man. What I wouldn’t give to stumble on one of those shows…

I love coconut, fresh especially, but I love to bake with it too.  Beans doesn’t like it in cooking much, so I don’t use it too often, but lately he’s not eating treats at all, so I made these for myself and some girlfriends.  I’ve made them lots of times with lemon or lime, so you can always change out your citrus, lime and coconut do work well together though!  These are so good, they are light, slightly crisp just around the top edge, the lime is not overpowering and the coconut is chewy and delicious.

• 150g (2/3 c) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp grated lime zest
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 c milk
• 3/4 c desiccated coconut

Grease 12 muffin tins or line with paper muffin cups and preheat oven to 180ºC (350°F).

Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer or by hand. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then add in the lime zest, juice, vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet, alternating with the milk, until combined. Mix in the coconut. Spoon the mixture into the muffin tins, to about two thirds full. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Lime coconut buttercream frosting:

• 1/2 c butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp coconut extract (optional)
• 3 c powdered/icing sugar
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3/4 cup coconut, decorating the tops of the cupcakes

In a medium bowl, beat butter, vanilla, and coconut extract until creamy. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, alternating with lime juice, beating until smooth and combined. Ice the cupcakes as generously as you like and then sprinkle with coconut.

The unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six weeks. Freeze the frosting separately. When defrosting the cupcakes, keep them in the container so that condensation forms on the outside of the package, not the cupcakes.

Recipe modified from Style at home.

Song for this recipe:

“Video games” – Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey is a dreamy singer, she sounds a little sad, but I’m not sure if she just finds being moody cool.  In any case I love her voice and her songs are enjoyable in lots of ways.  I can see this being a big summer album.  It’s relaxed, but interesting, perfect for baking treats on a Sunday and then eating them in front of the telly while playing video games!  (I’ve heard she’s a mess live, but she’s gorgeous, so it must still be quite a show).

After a long week of work I really enjoy a cider or two on the weekend.  This Easter we were a little ill prepared in the food department, but we had beverages so we figured we’d be fine whipping up a left-over pasta or a simple curry.  But we’d forgotten about dessert too, so I tried a new cake made with cider.  One sip for me, one for the cake…

Now this cider cake is so wonderful you won’t feel at all bad about sharing your drink with it, promise.  It’s inspired by Jamie Oliver’s apple pepper pot cake, which he baked with cider when he was in Bristol, but I wanted a simpler version and I had seen a great recipe on the blog – Baking for Britain.  I wanted to make a light sponge without fruit, something fast and easy with a hint of spice.  I was especially pleased with how well I could taste the apple and how the bubbles from the cider helped the cake rise to fluffy perfection.

You could easily double this recipe and make 2 cakes to sandwich together with whipped cream and jam.

• 125g butter, softened
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 c self-raising flour (or 1 c plain flour with 1 tsp baking powder)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 150 ml cider

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF).  Butter a square, shallow cake tin. Ours was 21cm x 21cm (about 8in x 8in), but you could use a round one too.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, a good 2-3 minutes, then add vanilla and the eggs one at a time and beat again.

In another bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and the spices, then fold the flour mixture into the creamed butter.  Add the cider and mix just until combined, don’t over mix.

Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Allow to cool in the tin, then turn out and sprinkle with icing (powdered) sugar.

We served ours with unsweetened whipped cream that had a dash of cinnamon sprinkled through it and fresh strawberries.

Original recipe from Baking for Britain.

Song for this recipe:

“Lordy May” – Boy and Bear

I love Boy and Bear and while they are similar to a few indie rock bands around, Fleet foxes, Mumford & Sons etc, the reason I love them above the others is Dave Hoskings voice.  I’ve been trying to explain it for the last few minutes, but instead I reckon you should just have a listen and tell me if you like it too.  Their tunes are excellent and even though there’s plenty of it, I’m always happy to hear good Aussie music.

Happy Easter and Passover for those of you who celebrate.

I think I crave bread more than other foods.  All baked goods actually.  But yeasty breads are definitely my weakness.  Especially when I see an image of fresh baked bread rolls – I have to make them.  The smell in the house, the warm out-of-the-oven softness, the satisfaction when eating lunch the next day. So many good things to do with baking bread.

We often use milk bread when we make French toast.  It’s the best bread to use, we find.  Portuguese bakeries often bake these rolls, which are pretty easy to make yourself.  All you really need is a little time when using yeast – it’s not hard, you just need something to do in the hour that it rises.

This recipe was inspired by one of those pictures – that makes your tastebuds instantly crave.

• 2 1/4 tsp (that’s about 1 packet) active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp warm water
• 1 c milk
• 70 g (5 Tbsp) butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 c bread flour
• 1 1/2 – 2 c all purpose flour
• (Bread flour makes for fluffier bread, but if you don’t have it, you can just use 3-4 c regular flour)

Egg wash

• 1 egg
• pinch of salt

In a large bowl stir together yeast, warm water and a pinch of the sugar- let sit for 5 minutes. Add melted butter (cooled), milk, remaining sugar, egg and salt and mix to combine. Gradually mix in flours (just do 3 cups first and build up from there) until the dough is formed and not too sticky.

Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Lightly coat a large clean bowl with a neutral oil (I use canola), form the dough into a big ball and place in the bowl. Cover with a tea towel or plastic and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and divide into 12-18 pieces (depending on what size roll you want – I made 14 ).  Roll the dough into a ball and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. If you want individual rolls, place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. If you like pull apart rolls, place them shoulder-to-shoulder on the sheet.

Cover the rolls with a tea towel or lightly greased plastic and let them rise again.  This time for about 45 min – 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 215ºC (420ºF). Whisk together the egg and pinch of salt to create an egg wash. Brush the rolls with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes until the rolls sound hollow when thumped on the bottoms.

Recipe adapted from the daily waffle/the joy of cooking.

Song for this recipe:

“Cameo lover” Kimbra

Kimbra is a New Zealand singer who seems to be becoming more popular due to her recent collaboration with Goyte on the track “Somebody that I used to know”.  Her solo album is pretty good, a nice mix of interesting tunes and good beats, even if the lyrics aren’t always my cup of tea – but I think that’s because the album is called ‘Vow’s’.  It’s a pretty great listen from beginning to end, which I appreciate, she has a terrific voice.  I especially find it suits parties and Sundays.

What a delicious idea these were!  These muffins are really easy to make, although I don’t like grating carrots.  Gingerbread and carrot cake merged into one muffin, topped with maple cream cheese icing, I mean, what’s not to love?

• 2 1/4 c (550 mL) all-purpose flour
• 2  tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 c (112g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 c packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c plain yogurt
• 2 c carrots, grated
• 1/2 c toasted walnuts, broken into pieces (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and grease to line a 12 hole muffin tin.

In bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light, about 1 minute. Add in the molasses and vanilla, then beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Stir in flour mixture and then stir in yogurt until just combined. Gently fold in the carrots and nuts. Spoon into paper-lined or greased muffin cups.

Bake for 20- 25 minutes. Transfer to rack and ice when cool.

Maple cream cheese icing/frosting

• 1/2 c (4 oz) cream cheese
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c icing/confectioners’ sugar
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl, if it’s too thick add a little more maple syrup, or a splash of milk.

Original muffin recipe adapted from: Canadian Living Magazine, September 2010.

Song for this recipe:

“More Love” Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Oh Smokey, thanks for your awesome songs.  They make me dance around the kitchen with joy, using the spatula as a microphone while the muffins bake.  More love is particularly poignant because that’s what you’ll most likely feel for these muffins.  Smokey might be my favourite singer from the 60′s (he’s still singing mind you) which is a big call considering the talent in that great decade.

I’m not sure why I always seem to need a dessert fast.  Obviously on occasion I have taken the day to make a strudel, but generally I prefer something that can be eaten quite quickly after my initial craving.  Especially when I bake during the week.  Also many times I do not have a fully stocked pantry – oh I know I should, but alas there are times when I just run out of butter, or icing sugar, or milk.  In any case, I find this type of baking the most fun.  Always proudly proclaiming “look what I made – and I didn’t even have any…”

It was by chance I stumbled across Two Spoons recipe for what she called a Three-sugar cake.  It looked fantastic and used yogurt and oil, no butter- perfect.  I have made it a few times now, so my recipe is modified.  I baked a couple vanilla cakes and a couple with citrus and I liked the citrus with the yogurt best.  Also I found I couldn’t discern between the three separate sugars, so I switched to two (I actually did have three in my pantry though!  Outrageous).

• 1 1/4 c plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 c plain, natural yogurt or sour cream
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/3 c white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp zest of any citrus you’re craving (we used Meyer Lemons)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 c oil

If you don’t want a citrus cake, just omit the zest and make the vanilla a whole tsp.

This makes a nice loaf, or you can bake a round 8in cake.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and lightly grease your pan.

Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl to combine.  In another large bowl, whisk yogurt, eggs, oil, sugars and vanilla together until smooth. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, until uniformly moist.

Pour batter into your pan and pop it on the middle rack of your oven, baking for about 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out cleanish. Let cool in pan until warm before serving. Can be served the next day, and can last for several days if kept covered.

This cake is delightfully moist.  Quite yogurty if you use yogurt, sour cream is a little less flavourful.  You can leave out the citrus zest if you want a regular vanilla teacake, but also feel free to add some berries maybe, or nuts, almond essence instead of vanilla.  It’s quite versatile and totally delicious.

With thanks to Two Spoons for the original recipe.

Song for this recipe:

“Vanilla’s the Killer” – Amon Tobin

Amon Tobin is a Brazillian electronic musician. I think his music is more like sound design, sophisticated experimentation.  He’s noted for his unusual methodology while making music.  In 2007 he released Foley Room an album based entirely on the manipulation of field recordings and this is my favorite album still.  He lives in Montreal too so I feel a little connected to him, even though that’s silly.

When you have a massive bunch of Kale, sometimes it’s hard to know what to do with it all.  I mean I know it’s healthy – really healthy, but there’s only so much I can steam and eat and enjoy.  In fact I don’t totally enjoy it steamed, but I eat it because I know it’s good for me.  When I read this easy recipe for Kale salt and vinegar chips, I knew it was the answer/recipe I’d been looking for.  Literally gone in 60 seconds after photos, these chips are a great, crispy salt’n'vinegary way to enjoy  Kale.

• 1 bunch kale, about 6-8 big leaves
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp white vinegar (The original recipe called for balsamic, but we went off Foodess’ recommendation to use white vinegar and loved it)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and line or lightly oil two baking trays.

Wash and dry the kale and tear into bite-size pieces. Toss leaves with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a large bowl. Give the leaves a quick rub to make sure each gets a coating of oil- this will make sure they crisp up well.

Place the kale on the baking sheet in a single layer – no overlapping leaves. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Bake for 6 minutes, then stir and turn kale, and bake for another 6 minutes. Remove crisp pieces as they are done to prevent burning (if they get too brown they can taste kind of charred) and allow remaining kale chips to get even heat. (A single layer is important for crispy results, they tend to steam when they overlap).

Original recipe from Foodess

Song for this recipe:

“Walk on gilded splinters” – Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Last week my sister went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  She said it was an amazing bonanza of bedazzled performers, drinking all day, necklace throwing and good music.  I want to go.  This song is a tribute to southern USA and their talent for making ‘greens’ more edible.  Fry them, add pork or smother them in butter.   The Dirty Dozen are an awesome band, apparently they revolutionized the New Orleans brass band style by incorporating funk and bebop into the traditional New Orleans style, and have been a major influence on the majority of New Orleans brass bands since.  I believe they have many albums, but Medicated Magic is my favourite – now someone throw me a necklace.