Rice Flour

Rice flour is an alternative flour to gluten flour made from wheat, barley and rye.  Often rice flour can be substituted in recipes calling for wheat flour, however the taste and texture may be altered.  Rice flour has less protein that wheat flour.  Rice flour is higher in carbohydrates and lower in fiber that wheat flour.  Both flours are low in fat.  Wheat flour has more protein.  Rice flour is higher in calories.

Rice flour can be made from white rice or browning rice.  The fineness of the flour can be different from wheat flour.  All flours can have different grades of fineness.

Try using rice flour in pancakes and waffles, muffins, cakes, bread, cookies, thickening in soups and sauces, and batters for deep frying.

This Week’s Challenge – Experiment with rice flour

            Try substituting rice flour for all-purpose flour in a recipe.  Decide on a recipe.  Research online for suggestions to help with using rice flour for a substitute.  What were your results?  How was the recipe different?  What did you like about the substitution and what did you not like?  Would other alterations like, more salt, have helped the result?  Remember to record your findings in your journal.

Tip for this Week -  Rice flour

            Rice flour has less protein that wheat flour and can be drier.  It is recommended to and more eggs to baking with rice flour.  Often more liquid is needed, but let the batter set for a few minutes to absorb the liquid before adding more.  Sometimes more salt or baking powder are needed.  It depends on what you are making with this substitution.

This Week in Punkin’s Kitchen

Lemon Cream Cake with Rosewater Glaze

Lemon Cream Cake

½ C     Butter, unsalted at room temperature

2 C      Sugar

4          Eggs

2 C      Rice Flour

2 t        Baking powder

½ C     Cream or buttermilk

1 T       Lemon peel, grated

1 T       Lemon juice

1 t        Vanilla

Glaze

1 C      Water

¾ C     Sugar

1 t        Lemon zest

1 T       Rosewater

The ingredients

1.    Cream the butter and sugar.

2.    Mix in the eggs.

Dry ingredients added to the egg mixture

3.    Add the rice flour and baking powder.

4.    Add the cream, lemon peel, lemon juice and vanilla.

Liquid ingredients added.

5.    Pour into a prepared tart pan.

Mix gently.

Spread in a prepared tart pan.

6.    Bake at 325 degrees 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool.

7.    Allow to cool while you make the glaze.

8.    In a small saucepan, add the water and sugar.

Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar.

9.    Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.  Boil one minute.

10. Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest.

Add the lemon zest.

11. Stir to cool about 1-2 minutes.

12. Add the rosewater.

13. Poke holes with a fork into the cake.

Slowly add the glaze allowing the cake

to absorb all the glaze.

14. Pour the glaze slowly over the cake a little at a time until all the glaze is added.

The lemon zest show be visible on the surface of the cake.

Fish of the Week

Fish & Chips with Rice Flour Batter

2 lb.     Cod Filets

            Vegetable or Canola oil

New potatoes, tri color, sliced

Salt

1 C      Rice flour

1 ½ t   Baking powder

1 t        Salt

            Pepper to taste

1 oz.    Beer

The ingredients

1.    In a heavy frying pan or Dutch oven, add 2-4 inches of oil and heat on high heat.

2.    Wash and scrub, the new potatoes and slice with a knife or crinkle cutter and sprinkle with salt.

I chose to make crinkle chips.  This an old

cutter that I use to cut vegetables and fruit.

I like using different colors to make the dish interesting.

3.    When the oil is hot about 425 degrees, add the potatoes and fry until golden brown.

4.    In a small bowl add the rice flour, baking powder, salt and pepper and blend.

Stir the flour to distribute the seasonings.  This

is a good place to experiment with other seasonings.

5.    Dredge the cod fillets in the flour mixture and set aside.

Add the beer and blend.  The bear will eventually stop foaming.

6.    Add one tablespoon oil and the beer to the flour mixture and stir.  Allow to set to thicken.

7.    When the potatoes are done, remove from the oil to drain on paper towels and sprinkle again with salt.

8.    Drip one filet into the batter and drop into the hot oil.

When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oil

and place on paper towels to drain.  Sprinkle well with

sea salt.  Dredge to cod in the batter and add the cod to the

same oil used for the potatoes.

Add caption

9.    Continue with the other filets until the pan is full.  Do not crown the filets, they should not be touching.

10. Cook until lightly browned on one side and turn to brown the other side.

11. Remove each fillet when done to drain on paper towels.

12. Serve with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce or my favorite Sriracha ketchup.  Also malt vinegar or fresh lemon go well with this.

Note: the rice flour texture is a little different.  It will not turn dark brown, a beautiful light golden brown.  It will be a little more crunchy.  It is hard to get it to stick to the fish, so there may be patches of naked fish.

Happy cooking!

Sensory Evaluation

 

            Sensory evaluation begins with the senses.  It takes practice to bring your sensory perceptions to mind, so much of it automatic and unconscious.  Begin training yourself to think about what you are thinking, feeling and sensing about the dish being evaluated.  It is helpful to write down your thoughts and impressions.  Look for what is good, as well as what is wrong.  It is not evaluation, but criticism, if all you can say is negative.  It is not helpful to you or the cook.  I like to start with what is right about the dish, and then look at what is wrong.  Remember to be aware of your own strong preferences and aversions, because these can flavor your evaluation.

 

Appearance

This can be very important.  Is the plating appealing?  It is neat?  Do the dishes on the plate go together?  Do the colors pop?  Does it look like fresh ingredients were used?

 

Aroma

            Aroma can be the first sensory perception of the meal.  Is your mouth watering?  Are you filled with anticipation?  Often aroma is release with oils or fats.  Have you ever enjoyed the aroma of sautéed onions or bacon?  We can recognize ingredients or dish by the aroma.

 

Taste – sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umani

            With each bite, take time to savor the food.  Can you recognize any of the five flavors?  Does if meet your standards, how?  Does it need a little acid, like lemon juice, vinegar to bring out or compliment the dish?  We will explore taste more thorough in the next posting.

 

Sound

            Some dishes do have sound like a sizzling steak or fajitas.  Does the sound have a pleasant affect?  Often sound comes more into play during the cooking process.

 

Texture

            Some ingredients are recognizable by the feel in your mouth or the feel as you chew. Often your personal aversions are tied to this sensory perception.  Texture is determined by dryness, liquidity, juiciness, softness, firmness, crunchiness, chewiness, chalkiness and creaminess.  Texture can help to determine if the dish is over or under cooked.  Is the texture appealing?  Does it feel like it should?  Is the moisture at the correct level?  We also feel temperature of the food.  Is the food hot, warm or cold?  Is the food at the proper temperature?   If is to be serve hot, is hot or just warm?  Some foods are affected by temperature.  For instance temperature affects the texture of potatoes.

 

This Week’s Challenge

 

            Take a dish that you would like to learn.  Research it and try cooking the recipe.  Evaluate the result and record your findings.  Try making this recipe at least three times, evaluating and recording your results.  Evaluate your findings by comparing your evaluations for all three attempts.  Were you pleased with the results?  Did you improve the recipe with each try?  Did you have a hard time duplicating a good result?  Did you change and perfect the recipe or technique with each attempt?

 

Tip for this Week – Evaluate all that you cook

 

            You will find that you will be the hardest evaluator of your own work.  But this is a good thing.  You will notice the imperfections and mentally make notes on how you can improve with the next attempt.  Each time you taste for seasoning, you are making evaluations.  The more you think about what you are doing, the easier it will become.

 

This Week in Punkin’s Kitchen

 

            Blackened Baked Hake

 

2-4      Hake filets (Or other firm white fish like Cod or Turbot)

            Blackening powder to taste

The ingredients

 

1.    Turn on the oven to 350 degrees.

2.    Pray a baking dish with Pam and place the hake fillets in the dish so that they do not overlap.

 

3.    Sprinkle with the blackening powder.

4.    Bake for about 30 minutes.  Check for doneness, but remember the fish will continue to cook.

 

Blackening Powder

from Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen, p. 50

 

1 T       Sweet paprika

2 ½ t    Salt

1 t        Onion powder

1 t        Garlic powder

1 t        Cayenne or red pepper

¾ t       White pepper

¾ t       Black pepper

½ t       Thyme, dried leaves

½ t       Oregano, dried leaves

 

 

1.    Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix.

2.    Store in an air tight container

 

When I make this I put all the ingredients in the spice grinder.  Proceeding just as the recipe for Berbere posted on January 31, 2016.

 

 

            Olive Ricotta Tart

 



 

One package            Puff paste dough

8 oz.                         Ricota or other cheese like cream cheese

 

¼ C                          Basil leaves, shredded

One can or jar           Olives of choice.

                                    Thin slices of tomatoes (optional)

                                    Grated parmesan or romano cheese (optional)

                    

 

 

 

The ingredients

 

1.     Preheat the oven according to the directions on the puff paste.

2.    Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with PAM or line it with parchment paper.

 

 

 

Puff paste layed out and spread with
 the cheese basil mixture

 

3.    Open the puff paste and place both sheets side by side.  Press the seam together.  Fold over the edges to form and rim around the edge.

4.    Chiffonade the basil and mix with the cheese.

 

Chifonaade of basil

The basil mixed with the ricotta.

 

 

5. Spread the cheese over the center and to the inside edge of the paste rim.

6.    Sprinkle with sliced olives, or your choice of topping. 

 

The ricotta mixture topped with sliced olives.

 

 

 

7.    Bake the tart according to the puff paste package.

8.    Top with thinly sliced tomatoes and grated parmesan

9.    Cut into serving sizes and serve warm.  Smaller pieces can be served at party appetizers.

 

 

Vegetable of the Week

 

            Stewed Squash with Tomatoes

 

Stewed squash pictured with baked chicken on the left.

1-2 T               Olive or vegetable oil

¼ - ½ med.     Onion, sliced or diced

2-4                  Summer squash, like zucchini, yellow or patty pan

1 Can             Tomatoes, use diced or crushed.

                        Broth or bouillon

                        Garlic Powder

                        Salt and pepper to taste

                        Fresh chopped herbs (optional) like parsley, basil, or cilantro

The ingredients
I used Mexican squash, but any
summer squash is very good.

 

1.    In a large skillet heat the oil.

2.    Add the onion and sauté until soft.

 

3.    Wash and slice the squash.  I usually slice it in half lengthwise and then slice it horizontally on a diagonal.  This leaves the squash in half moon shapes.

 

4.    When the onion is soft and transparent, add the squash and stir as it sautés.

5.    Cook the squash for a few minutes.

6.    Add the tomatoes and seasoning.  I usually vary the seasonings.  I used loose bouillon that is a powder in a jar.  I add about a table spoon, but a bouillon cube can also be used.

 

Add the seasoning and bouillon
and simmer to blend the flavors. 
I used Italian herbs.

Diced tomatoes are added. 
Water can be add for more
cooking liquid.







 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.    Cook about 10 more minutes, less if you like firmer squash.

 

Serve as a side dish or add meatballs or leftover meat and make it a meal.  Other vegetables can be added.  Mushrooms work well with this recipe

 

 

Happy Cooking!