They started out as peanut-butter cookies (actually cashew-butter) but rather than press them with a fork as usual Laurel thought we should use this spatula that had square holes.  I observed that they looked like we’d used a fly swatter to press them so we put chocolate-chips as flies.  We had some roasted pumpkin seeds Laurel put on as wings.  Noah suggested we should put licorice for the handle (this would not go well in the oven so we used popsicle sticks).  The wings looked more lively before the oven but the end result looks more like the flies had been swatted.  Delicious.

Cut a green plantain into thick slices. Fry in oil on both sides until golden. Drain or pat dry. Smash flat. Fry again until just browned. Salt.

I was taught to bias cut them. I like to wear gloves when I cut them because the juices in them can be hard on your skin. I’ve also seen people rinse them (in salt water?) after the first fry. This is supposed to make them more crisp on the outside. You can flatten them with the bottom of a mug or something similar. A Dominican family gave me a device used specifically for this purpose called a “tostonera”. Like many Dominican kitchen products it’s made of cast aluminum. I think next time I make them I’m going to pulverize my salt first so it sticks better.

These things are delicious. Rebecca says they are a much better alternative than the sweet potato fries you find in some “fancy” restaurants. I strongly agree. Now I just need to find myself some good frying cheese. Oh, and there’s another delicious way to eat green plantains: Mangú (the plantain equivalent of mashed potatoes).

1 Egg
3 T Sugar
3 T Oil
½ t Vanilla
1 C Milk
1 C Flour
1 T Baking Powder
½ t Salt

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg, sugar, and oil in a larger bowl. Add milk to wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Let stand a while while you heat the griddle.

There’s almost no point telling you what temperature to cook them at. The recipe at my parent’s house says 450° but this morning I cooked them at closer to 300°. I suspect there isn’t a close correlation between the temperature you set your griddle to and the actual temperature of the surface. Or maybe it really doesn’t matter much and it just changes the cooking time. As a kid I was taught to cook the first side until a bubble popping on the top leaves a hole that doesn’t close. Experience tells me this is only good advice if you cook them at a lower temperature. I cook by color and smell.

The baking powder was listed as 3 t in the original but that’s exactly the same as 1 T. I suspect that might be too much baking powder but I haven’t tried it with less yet. Vanilla is not in the original. The order I’ve set for mixing should allow you to dirty only one tablespoon and one cup.

I used to think that mixing technique was important and I’ve experimented with various over the years, including two cake methods and the muffin method. The muffin method (roughly what I listed) is probably the right one but the results seem to be about the same any way you do it if the batter is not too thick. Today, for instance, I mixed my batter with a hand mixer. Normally this would result in a very bready, even rubbery texture, but with a thin batter it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Anyone who bakes much knows that one cup of flour is a useless measurement because the density of flour varies widely depending on how you put it into the cup. I have a can of flour which I always shake before opening and then I try to make sure I don’t pack the flour while measuring. Obviously it would be better to measure by weight. The amount of flour determines how thick the batter is.

I like to top mine with butter and cinnamon sugar.

The packaging is elegant and the texture smooth but the taste?  The package describes the taste thusly, “This full-bodied chocolate[...] is for true aficionados.” In other words only crazy people buy this stuff, the kind of people who convince themselves that if something costs more it must be better.  If 40% is good, then 80% should be fabulous!  You know who you are.

I’m not saying it was completely disgusting.  There’s a shy hint of sweetness, and it really is smooth, but I won’t be going above 60% again.

Update: Apparently they also have a 99%.

While it’s obvious my dusting technique is wanting, that didn’t affect the taste. Given the opportunity the Browns and Jorgensens would have devoured at least half a cake more.

Cake mixes are awesome. They’ve got all kinds of neat stuff in them to make it hard to fail. They can also be boring. People will even try to fix a boring cake by putting frosting on it. Yuck! By contrast cakes from scratch require some education and some care to get right. Luckily you can have your cake and eat it to. Cake mixes can be used as the basis for tastier, more interesting baked goods.

The cake in question here is Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake from The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn.

We were once given a bag of some unknown mix and directions for cookies. Months later we finally gave it a try and were delighted at the results. We hungered for more only to discover weeks later what you have already surmised.

Regarding dusting: If someone knows of a store in Utah County where I can get some Baker’s Joy please let me know, or just bring me some. Pam makes a similar spray but I am told that lecithin can leave a sticky residue on my Bundt® pan.

Rebecca doesn’t like eggnog at all but she loved this stuff. The texture was a little too icy but otherwise it was delightful. I presume the iciness was due to the very low cream content. If anyone I know happens to be some kind of ice cream scientist please contact me.

Update: According to a couple of good sources the icy texture was more a function of the temperature of the freezer.

Homemade Peaches ‘n Cream Ice Cream

3 c. mashed canned or fresh peaches
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 c. milk
3 c. whipping cream
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. salt

If fresh peaches are used, cook and sweeten to taste. Combine peaches and lemon juice. Combine milk, whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Add peaches to milk mixture. Chill. Churn freeze. Yield about 1 gallon. Any fruit may be substituted for this recipe.

We made twice as much (for a family picnic) and made a few modifications. We didn’t mash the peaches but rather puréed about 2 cups of the peaches and left the rest cut small. We also used half-and-half instead of milk and only half as much as the recipe called for.

The taste is wonderful and very creamy. Almost exactly like peaches and cream. Next time I think I’d purée at least half of the peaches and I might use a few egg yolks. Egg yolks are an emulsifier which means they cause the fats and other liquids to stay completely mixed which I think would have given it a better texture. Many of the recipes I found online use egg yolks (some even used whole eggs!). That’s what makes a French ice cream French, by the way, also known as frozen custard but for some reason the US government restricts the use of the word custard to desserts containing some large quantity of eggs that’s more than people usually want to use.

Shortly after we made the ice cream we saw that Jeremy had emailed us the family recipe.

Peach Ice Cream

Combine:
6c Mashed Peaches
3c Sugar
the juice of 2 lemons

Add:
1 pinch salt
1 can canned milk
1 pt Whipping Cream
1 pt milk

Combine and freeze in ice-cream freezer.
Makes 5-6 quarts.

That stuff is really good. I’d recommend you try that recipe first. It should be noted, though, if you didn’t figure it out already, that homemade ice cream can be more expensive than even the more premium ice creams at the store.