Everyday Cook - Alton Brown (2016)
COFFEE BREAK
Seedy Date Bars
MAKES TWELVE 1-1/2 × 4-INCH BARS
We all remember the line from Raiders of the Lost Ark, right? “Bad dates.” Well, this date bar is never bad because it’s pretty much a superfoods convention. In case you doubt, I’ve included a few nutritional attributes below.
1. Line an 8 × 8-inch pan with parchment paper.*
2. I have to warn you…things are going to be sticky. I usually spray the food processor work bowl and blade with a little nonstick cooking spray. Combine the dates, apricots, crystallized ginger, orange zest and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process for 1 minute, or until the mixture forms a thick paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl one time.
3. Heat a 12-inch skillet and cook the pepitas over medium-low heat, tossing occasionally, for 1½ minutes, then add the sunflower seeds and continue toasting for another 5 minutes. Finally, add the coconut, chia seeds, flaxseeds and sesame seeds and toast for 3 minutes, or until the mixture is fragrant and the sunflower seeds and coconut are lightly browned.
4. Add the toasted seed mixture to the sticky stuff in the food processor and pulse 8 times, 3 seconds a pulse.
5. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate for 2 hours, then cut into 12 bars with a pizza cutter. Store, separated with parchment, in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
6. Consume as a breakfast or any time a quick energy boost is required.
* If you keep a spritz bottle of H2O around, give the baking pan a squirt before you put in the parchment paper to help hold the paper in place.
8 ounces pitted Medjool dates P
FOR: fiber, potassium
4 ounces dried apricots
FOR: vitamins A and C
1 ounce crystallized ginger P
FOR: gingerol (anti-inflammatory)
1 tablespoon orange zest (from ½ orange)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 ounces pepitas/green pumpkin seeds P
FOR: magnesium, zinc
2½ ounces raw sunflower seeds
FOR: selenium, copper
¾ ounce unsweetened coconut flakes
FOR: vitamins A and E, polyphenols
2 tablespoons chia seeds P
FOR: omega-3 fatty acids, fiber
1 tablespoon whole flaxseeds P
FOR: omega-3s, manganese, vitamin B1
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
FOR: various minerals
Cold Brew Coffee
SERVES 1
I consume ridiculous amounts of coffee, and most of the coffee I drink is cold and no, that doesn’t mean I just brew a pot of coffee and chill it. To my taste, coffee that’s to be served cold needs to be brewed specifically for that mission. I’ve played around with just about every variable you can imagine—method, ratio, grind, temperatures—and this is the combination that gets me where I need to go. And yes, you should weigh by grams.
40 grams coarse-ground coffee*
100 grams boiling water
Pinch of kosher salt
200 grams ice
100 grams cold water
1. Weigh the coffee into a pint-size glass jar.
2. Add the boiling water, stir, and cover loosely for 3 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and add the salt and ice, followed by the cold water.
4. Tightly fix the lid and refrigerate for 6 hours.
5. Strain through a paper coffee filter set inside a hand strainer. Add ice, and enjoy.
* I prefer a darker roast for this, and as you know, grinding to order is advised.
Peach “Cobbles”
FEEDS 10 TO 12
Yes, this is a cobbler with an r, but when you see the finished dish, you’ll totally get it.
4 pounds frozen sliced peaches*
10 ounces granulated sugar
1 ounce (¼ stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
14 ounces all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons Demerara sugar P
1. Heat the oven to 375°F.
2. Combine the peaches, 8 ounces of the granulated sugar and the butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet H M over medium-high heat.** (The skillet will be very full.) Cook for 45 minutes, stirring regularly, until the peaches have reduced by half, are very tender and the liquid they’ve given up has thickened. Add the vanilla extract and cool slightly while you are preparing the dough.
3. Whisk together the flour, the remaining 2 ounces granulated sugar, the baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine. Add 1 cup of the heavy cream and stir to create a moist but not sticky dough.***
4. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently press the disk out into a ¾-inch thickness. Fold the dough over onto itself 3 or 4 times and then gently pat it back out to a ¾-inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 1-inch squares.
5. Arrange the dough pieces on top of the peaches, so that they resemble cobblestones. Press the dough down into the peaches slightly. Brush the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons cream and sprinkle generously with the Demerara sugar.****
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the peaches are bubbling and the biscuit topping is brown. Cool for 15 minutes before devouring.
7. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, or just use your hands.
* That’s right…frozen peaches. They’re available everywhere, year-round, and I think they actually make a better dessert here because they break down more evenly as they cook. Thank all those little ice crystals.
** If you don’t have a 12-inch cast-iron skillet…get one. If you try to bake this in anything else, you’ll be sorry.
*** Yes…you’re making biscuits!
**** Demerara crystals are dry and large so that they remain crunchy even after baking.
Amaranth Wafers
MAKES 36 COOKIES
WAFERS
100 grams whole amaranth P
195 grams dark brown sugar
55 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
75 grams amaranth flour
3 grams dried orange peel
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
30 grams chopped Candied Orange Peel
CANDIED ORANGE PEEL
Makes 1 cup
2 large oranges
2 cups sugar
FOR THE WAFERS
1. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add about a tablespoon of the whole amaranth and shake into an even layer. Cover the pan and let the amaranth pop for 1 minute, or until the popping slows. Immediately remove to a bowl and continue popping the remaining amaranth a tablespoon at a time. When finished, allow to cool while you continue the batter.
2. Place the brown sugar and butter together in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the amaranth flour, dried orange peel, salt and baking powder together and set aside.
4. Slow the mixer and beat in the egg and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture, followed by the popped amaranth and candied orange peel. Chill the batter for 30 minutes.
5. Heat the oven to 325°F.
6. Drop the batter by the tablespoonful onto parchment paper-lined half sheet pans, 12 to a pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 1 minute on the pans before moving to racks to cool completely. Sealed in an airtight vessel, the cookies will keep for 2 weeks. They freeze well too.
FOR THE CANDIED ORANGE PEEL
1. Quarter the oranges. Use a thin knife to remove the part you’d normally eat, which…you should eat. Then, remove as much of the white pith from the peel as possible. (This you should not eat.) Slice the orange peel into ¼-inch strips.
2. Move the strips to a medium pan, cover with water, and boil over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse.
3. Back into the pan go the boiled orange peels along with the sugar and 2 cups water and cook for 45 minutes over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the syrup reduces and dry sugar crystals begin to form. Immediately pour out the peels onto a cooling rack set over a piece of parchment. Spread the orange peel pieces into an even layer, allowing any excess sugar to fall away. Cool for 1 hour before storing. Oh, and keep any stray sugar—it’s excellent for sweetening tea.
Lacquered Bacon
FEEDS 4 TO 6, OR MAYBE JUST 1
Because you should be able to have your bacon and your candy too.
1 pound thick-cut bacon
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
7 tablespoons dark muscovado sugar P
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes P (or more if you’re up to it)
1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set a cooling rack inside the pan.
2. Lay the bacon on the rack in a single layer so that there’s little or no space between the pieces.
3. Liberally sprinkle one side of the bacon slices with ¼ teaspoon of the black pepper, 4 tablespoons of the sugar and the red pepper flakes.
4. Set the sheet pan in the oven and roast the bacon for 15 minutes. Remove the pan and use the back of a spoon to spread the dissolved sugar-pepper mixture evenly across the slices of bacon. Wait for 1 minute.
5. Flip the bacon over and liberally sprinkle the other side of the bacon with the remaining ¼ teaspoon black pepper and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar.
6. Return the sheet pan to the oven and roast until the desired doneness: 15 minutes for chewy, 18 minutes for crisp. Cool completely before devouring.
Note: I like to serve the rashers upright in a Mason jar like piggy candy canes, which are pretty much what they are. Can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 month if tightly sealed in a zip-top bag.
Apple Spice Bundt Cake
with Rum Glaze
MAKES 1 BUNDT CAKE AND 2 CUPS GLAZE, FEEDS 12
This cake is produced via the “creaming method,” which follows a very simple order of four operations:
1.Cream together fats and sugars.
2.Slowly mix in eggs and liquids.
3.Slowly add dry ingredients.
4.Fold in “Bits and Pieces.”
Once you’ve got this down, you can produce approximately 73 percent of the cakes in the known universe.
CAKE
2 medium Granny Smith apples (224 grams each)
434 grams all-purpose flour
6 grams baking soda
8 grams ground grains of paradise P
1 gram ground nutmeg P
1 gram ground ginger
1 gram ground cardamom
1 gram ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground rosemary
⅛ teaspoon ground star anise P
3 grams kosher salt
336 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
224 grams granulated sugar
196 grams light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100 grams pecans, chopped
100 grams crystallized ginger P, finely chopped
GLAZE
336 grams powdered sugar
14 grams rum B
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
28 grams Demerara sugar P
1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter a Bundt pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess M.
2. Chop one of the apples into ¼-inch dice, leaving the peel on. Grate the other apple on the large holes of a box grater. Set both aside.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, grains of paradise, nutmeg, ground ginger, cardamom, allspice, rosemary, star anise and salt in a large bowl.
4. Install the paddle attachment on a stand mixer and cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy and pale.
5. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition, followed by the vanilla.
6. Add the flour mixture in three batches.*
7. Add the apples, pecans and crystallized ginger.
8. Transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 75 minutes, rotating the pan after 30 minutes. Cover the cake during the last 15 minutes of baking if the top gets too brown. The cake is done when it pulls away from the sides of the pan, springs back when pressed or the internal temperature reaches 205°F.
9. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Invert and remove the cake from the pan. Cool completely on the rack before glazing.
FOR THE GLAZE
1. Combine the powdered sugar, rum, salt and 28 grams water in a small mixing bowl. Whisk with a fork until smooth.
2. Drizzle the glaze onto the Bundt cake. Sprinkle with the Demerara sugar.
3. Allow the glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving.
* I always do this by sifting the flour mixture onto a paper plate H, which I then gently fold like a taco to feed into the mixer.
