I'd originally been thinking of doing some sort of breakfast casserole this morning, but we had diner food for dinner last night and I wasn't feeling the casserole for breakfast today. Pancakes seemed like a good choice and I appreciated the inclusion of fuit and coconut flour.

Coconut-Blueberry Pancakes

Slightly adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. coconut flour
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1-2 eggs (depending on the size of your eggs)
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter (or coconut oil), melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries¹
• 1/3 c. unsweetened dried coconut

Directions

1. Combine all-purpose flour, coconut flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Sift in baking powder and mix well.
3. Add egg, milk, butter, and vanilla and stir until just combined.
4. Stir in blueberries and coconut.
5. Cool pancakes over medium or medium-low heat, flipping once so that pancake is cooked through and brown on both sides. Grease pan as necessary.
6. Serve with maple syrup, blueberry jam, and/or blueberry syrup.

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¹ Toss frozen blueberries with 1 Tbsp. of flour before adding to batter to prevent excessive bleeding. ^Back

It's been a while since I made this stir-fry and I'm feeling pretty tired, so this write-up may not be as detailed as it should be, but at least it'll be recorded. There's not much to it though. You stir-fry your shrimp in a ketchup-based sauce and serve over rice with some sort of veggie side. We did garlic broccoli to go with it.

Ketchup Shrimp Stir-Fry

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 350g raw shrimp¹
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil, divided
• 7 (3mm thick) slices fresh ginger
• 1-2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 scallions, sliced, green and white parts separated
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. cornstarch (optional)
• 1 tsp. water (optional)

Directions

1. Rinse shrimp and thaw if frozen.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add the shrimp and cook for 15-20 seconds per side. (15 seconds for shelled, 20 seconds for unshelled.) Remove from wok and set aside.
4. Reduce heat to low and add remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil.
5. Add ginger and cook for 15-30 seconds.
6. Add garlic and the white parts of the scallions and increase heat to medium. Cook for 10-15 seconds.
7. Add ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and cook for another 15-20 seconds.
8. Add the shrimp (along with any collected juices), white pepper, and wine and cook for another 20 seconds or so.
9. Stir in soy sauce and cook until sauce thickens and coats the shrimp.
10. If you would like and even thicker sauce, you may make a slurry of 1 tsp. of cornstarch + 1 tsp. of water and stir that into the sauce.
11. Stir in green parts of scallions and cook for another 10-20 seconds.
12. Serve hot or room temperature.

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¹ You may use either headless, deveined, shell-on shrimp or shelled raw shrimp. If using shelled shrimp, be sure they still have the tails on. The tails (and shells) add extra flavour during cooking. Making this dish with shelled shrimp makes it easier to eat, making it with shell-on shrimp makes it a little more flavourful. We opted for shelled shrimp and ease of eating. It was still plenty tasty. ^Back

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out what "chicken leg" mushrooms were. The author mentions that they are native to China but now cultivated in western Canada. I figured that would make them easy to find here, but I'd never heard of "chicken leg" mushrooms before. It turns out this is just another name for king oyster mushrooms! Which are, indeed, very easy to find in just about any grocery store here.

Chicken with Chicken Legs

Slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp. ginger juice
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 350g boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 6cm strips, 6x6mm in cross-section

Sauce

• 1/2 c. Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground

Stir-Fry

• 4 1/2 Tbsp. peanut (or other high smoke point) oil, divided
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. peeled minced ginger
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 onions, julienned
• 1/4 c. julienned carrots
• 1/2 c. julienned bamboo shoots
• 64 water chestnuts (preferably fresh), julienned
• 150g king oyster (chicken leg) mushrooms, cut into 6mm thick discs and then 12mm wide strips
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine

Directions

Marinade

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Add chicken and toss to coat.
3. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.

Sauce

1. Combine all sauce ingredients, mix well, and set aside.

Stir-Fry

1. Heat wok over high heat for 30-60 seconds.
2. Add 2 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil and swirl to coat wok.
3. Add ginger and salt and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds.
4. Add onions and stir-fry for 1 minute.
5. Add carrots and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
6. Add the bamboo shoots and cook for another minute.
7. Add the water chestnuts and continue stir-frying for 1 minute.
8. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute more.
9. Remove from heat and transfer vegetables to a bowl.
10. Make sure there are no bits left in the wok and return it to high heat for 30 seconds.
11. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil and swirl to coat.
12. Add the garlic and give it a quick stir.
13. Add the chicken along with its marinade and spread out to form a single layer in the wok.
14. Cook for ~90 seconds and then turn, mix well, and stir-fry for another 60-90 seconds.
15. Drizzle the wine around the edges of the wok and cook for ~30 seconds.
16. Return the vegetables to the wok and stir to mix.
17. Make a well in the centre of the stir-fry, stir the sauce to be sure it's well-mixed, and pour it into the well.
18. Stir-fry for ~2 minutes more. (The sauce should boil and thicken.)
19. Serve with rice.

These mushrooms were phenomenal! Full of rich, dark umami flavour, beautiful texture... just wonderful. I served them with mushu pork and they made a great accompaniment to that. I found that placing a few mushrooms on top of the pork in place of the hoisin sauce worked quite well. Very nice balance.

Braised Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce

Slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

• 40 dried black (shiitake) mushrooms, ~2.5cm diameter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. peanut (or other high smoke point) oil
• 2.5cm thick slice of fresh ginger, peeled and smashed
• 60g raw chicken fat, cut into 4 pieces
• 3 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. Chicken Stock

Directions

1. Pour hot water over the mushrooms to cover and soak for 30 minutes.
2. Drain, rinse, and squeeze out any excess water.
3. Remove and discard the stems.
4. Heat pot over high heat for 20-30 seconds.
5. Add the oil and heat for another 20-30 seconds.
6. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 10-15 seconds.
7. Add the mushroom caps and stir to mix.
8. Add the chicken fat and stir.
9. Now add the wine, stir, and cook for ~1 minute.
10. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and white pepper and stir to coat the mushrooms.
11. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
12. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
13. Serve hot.

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Variations

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

• 40 dried black (shiitake) mushrooms, ~2.5cm diameter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. peanut (or other high smoke point) oil
• 2.5cm thick slice of fresh ginger, peeled and smashed
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. Scallion Oil
• 3 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. Chinese Vegetable Stock

I've made a few differen mug cakes over the years, but it never really occurred to me to try a mug cookie before. I'm actually pretty pleased with how this one turned out. It's especially good with a square of chocolate plopped on top to get all melty and delicious during the last minute or so of cooking.

The original recipe called for 3 Tbsp. of smooth peanut butter + 1 Tbsp. of chopped peanuts. I only had crunchy peanut butter on hand, so I decided to just go with 1/4 c. of crunchy and that worked out great. I like using a "natural", just-peanuts-style peanut butter. It should work fine with sweetened (and salted) peanut butters as well, but I would be inclined to cut back on the sugar slightly if using one of those.

Peanut Butter Mug Cookie

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. butter¹
• 1/4 c. crunchy peanut butter (preferably "natural")
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 large egg yolk²
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp. milk
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 square of chocolate (optional)

Directions

1. Place the butter and peanut butter in a large mug and microwave for 30-60 seconds to soften.
2. Mix to combine.
3. Stir in sugar.
4. Add egg yolk and mix well.
5. Stir in flour.
6. Now add the milk and vanilla and mix well.
7. Microwave for 1-3 minutes in 1-minute bursts. The exact amount of time needed will depend on the mug and the microwave being used. Microwave until set and cooked through.
8. If desired, once the cookie is almost done, add a square of chocolate on top before putting it in for the last 1-minute burst.

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¹ I used unsalted butter. I think salted would also be okay for this application. ^Back
2 In future, I'd be inclined to try making this with a whole egg. I suspect 1 medium egg would work in place of the large egg yolk. It'd be a little less rich, of course, but I think it'd still work. ^Back

Fruit Crumble

I was in the mood to do a little baking the other day and TF was craving some sort of fruity dessert, so we turned to Edmonds for ideas. We had one tin of NZ boysenberries left in the pantry and this felt like a very appropriate use for it.

The tinned boysenberries come with A LOT of liquid and not a huge amount of substance, so I decided to cook a Granny Smith apple and some dried currants in the juice to try to bulk it up a bit. It was still pretty soupy, so I added a bit of cornstarch as well. This got things to about the right consistency.

The Edmonds recipe is very generic. It calls for unspecified "stewed fruit" which then gets topped with a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and a generous quantity of buttery crumble topping. Depending on which fruit(s) you're using, you may want to adjust the amount of sugar and/or add additional seasonings. I found the default recipe slightly too sweet for the mix of fruits I had. It was still good, just not quite ideal. I've included both the basic formula as well as my specific recipe (with sweetness adjustments) here to give an idea of how it might be tweaked. Have fun experimenting with different fruits and flavours!

Fruit Crumble (Master/General Recipe)

From Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 2 c. stewed fruit
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3/4 c. flour¹
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 100g butter²
• 1/2 c. sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Pour fruit into a baking dish and sprinkle with brown sugar.
3. Combine flour and baking powder.
4. Cut in butter until mixture looks like breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized lumps.
5. Mix in sugar.
6. Spoon topping over fruit.
7. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30 minutes.
8. Serve on its own or topped with cream, whipped cream, ice cream, and/or custard.

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Variations

Apple-Boysenberry Crumble

Ingredients

• 1 tin boysenberries
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 c. dried currants
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 100g butter
• 6 Tbsp. sugar

Directions

1. Drain most of the juice from the boysenberries and add it to a small pot with the apple, currants, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
2. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until apple has softened.
3. Mix a little of the remaining juice (~2-3 tsp.) with the cornstarch to make a slurry.
4. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the fruit mixture and cook until thickened.
5. Carefully mix in the boysenberries and any remaining juice and cook until heated through.
6. Remove from heat and set aside. Fruit mixture may be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days at this point.
7. Once ready to proceed, preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
8. Pour fruit mixture into a baking dish.
9. Prepare crumble topping as above: mixing flour and baking powder, cutting in butter, and stirring in sugar.
10. Spoon topping over fruit mixture.
11. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30 minutes.
12. Serve alone or with toppings of your choice: cream, ice cream, whipped cream, custard, etc.

Fruit Crisp

Ingredients

• 2 c. stewed fruit
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. rolled oats
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 100g butter
• 1/2 c. sugar

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 2 c. stewed fruit
• 2 Tbsp. turbinado/raw sugar
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 100g vegan butter, shortening, and/or coconut oil
• 1/2 c. vegan (granulated) sugar and/or turbinado/raw sugar

Other Flavour Ideas

• Peach or Blueberry-Peach (add cinnamon)
• Blackberry
• Blueberry
• Apricot
• Plum
• Strawberry
• Strawberry-Rhubarb (add vanilla)
• Apple (add cinnamon and/or nutmeg)
• Pear and ginger

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¹ Feel free to use any kind of flour you like here: soft or hard, white or whole wheat. I used a hard whole wheat flour, but a soft or all-purpose white flour is the more typical choice. ^Back
2 I always default to unsalted butter for baking. That said, I believe that Edmonds typically expects salted butter. I used unsalted and was happy with my results. I'm sure that salted would also be fine if that's what you have available though. ^Back

I assumed that making flour tortillas would be pretty much the same as making corn tortillas, just with different flour. It's not. I mean, cooking them is pretty much the same, but shaping them is quite different. For corn tortillas, you want to press them. You can't roll out the masa. Flour tortillas are the opposite; pressing them doesn't work, the dough needs to be rolled.

Flour Tortillas

From Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 2 c. hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 3 Tbsp. neutral oil
• ~3/4 c. warm water

Directions

1. Combine flour and salt.
2. Add oil and stir in enough water to form a soft dough.
3. Knead for 3-5 minutes.
4. Shape into a smooth ball, place in a covered bowl, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
5. Turn out the dough and knead it for another few strokes.
6. Divide into 8 equal portions.
7. Form each portion into a ball and then flatten it into a 7-8cm disc. Keep discs covered to keep them from drying out.
8. Preheat a cast iron (or other heavy-bottomed) skillet.
9. Working with one disc at a time, roll it out to a 20cm circle, turning frequently.
10. Cook for ~45 seconds per side. Do not use any oil in the skillet.
11. While the first tortilla is cooking, roll out the next one.
12. Once cooked, place the each tortilla in a tortilla warmer (or on a warmed, covered plate) to keep them warm and pliable.

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Variations

Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

Ingredients

• 1 c. hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 Tbsp. neutral oil
• ~3/4 c. warm water

A cheese-y quick bread. The basic recipe just adds a little mustard powder to the batter, but you can dress it up all sorts of ways: herbs, chili powder, cayenne, green onions, jalapeños, etc.

Cheese Loaf

From Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 3 c. soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. mustard powder
• 2 tsp. butter
• 1 1/2 c. grated cheese
• 1 c. milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease and flour two 23cm (9") loaf tins.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and mustard.
3. Rub in the butter.
4. Mix in the grated cheese.
5. Stir in the milk to make a very thick batter. Use a little more or less milk as necessary to get the right consistency.
6. Spoon into the prepared tins.
7. Top loaves with a little extra cheese and/or paprika if desired.
8. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 30-40 minutes.
9. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes.
10. Tranfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

This recipe from America's Test Kitchen supersedes the previous mug cake recipe; the more broken-up cooking process with intermediate stirring results in a more moist, even cake.

Molten Chocolate Microwave Mug Cake

The Perfect Cake, p.86

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 oz (30g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ¼ C sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ C flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 oz (30g) bittersweet chocolate, divided into 4 equal pieces

Directions

1. Microwave butter and chopped chocolate in a large bowl at 50% power until melted.
2. Whisk in sugar, eggs, cocoa, vanilla, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder; whisk into chocolate mixture.
4. Divide batter evenly between two coffee mugs.
5. Place both mugs in the microwave and cook at 50% power for 45 seconds.
6. Stir and return to microwave for another 45 seconds at 50% power.
7. Press two chocolate pieces into the top of each mug.
8. Microwave for another 30-60 seconds; chocolate pieces should be melted and cake slightly wet around the edges.
9. Let stand 2 minutes before serving.