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!

Palm Sunday

          Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week in the Christian calendar.  The week between Palm Sunday and Easter celebrates the last days of Jesus’ life, His death and resurrection.  This is my favorite time of the year.

 

This is a feast day and celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem.  He was welcomed with people throwing palm branches and coats in His path as He entered the city on the back of a donkey colt.  On this day we process into Church with palm branches singing Hosanna!

 

I like to serve a palm theme festive dinner for Palm Sunday.  Traditionally ham or lamb is served for Easter.  I usually serve one for Palm Sunday and the other for Easter.  Lamb is readily available in grocery stores.  It is associated with spring.   So this is what I’m serving this year.

 

            Menu for Palm Sunday

                        Palm Sunday Salad

                        Herb-Panko Encrusted Rack of Lamb

                        Oven Roasted Asparagus

                        Sautéed Mushrooms

                        Boiled new potatoes

                        Homemade bread

                        Palm Sundae

 

This Week’s Challenge - What’s in season?

 

            It is finally spring.  Take a look at produce that is season this month.  Research on online, visit a produce store, like Sprouts of Mother’s, look for what is new in the stores.  Try something you have not tried before.

 

Tip for this Week – Berries are in Season

 

            Strawberries are at their peak.  In California the season runs from February to August.  Of course the best strawberries are locally grown and picked ripe.  Most strawberries found in grocery stores are picked before they are ripe.  Unfortunately, strawberries do not ripen after being picked.  They will continue to turn red, but they stop storing sugar after being picked.  Even if they are beautifully red, they will not be as sweet as a strawberry that is ripe before being picked. 

            Berries should not be rinsed or washed, but gently wiped clean, like mushrooms.  This is so that they do not taste watery. Washing adds to the water content.  At least that is the correct method.  I do wash my berries and my mushrooms.  So I leave it up to you to decide how you will handle cleaning your berries.

 

This Week in Punkin’s Kitchen

 

Palm Sunday Salad

 

Palm Heart Salad

1 pack.           Salad greens of choice

1 C                  Cherry tomatoes

1 can              Hearts of Palm, drained and cut into ½ inch slices

1 inch             Cucumber, sliced thin

2-3                  Radishes, sliced

¼                     Bell pepper, cut in thin slices

                        Red onion or shallot, sliced in rings

2 T                   Sunflower seeds, shelled and roasted

 

1.    Place the vegetables, in a salad bowl.

2.    Top with feta and pine nuts.

3.    Make the dressing.

 

 

Balsamic Vinegraitte

 

2 T                   Balsamic Vinegar

¼ C                 Olive oil, extra virgin

1 t                    Dijon mustard

1 t                    Tarragon, dried and crushed

2 T                   Water

                        Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste

 

1.    Place all the ingredients in a jar or curette and shake to combine.

2.    Add to the salad just before serving.

 

 

Palm Sundae Dessert

 

                        Ice cream of choice

Package        Palmier cookies

                        Berries of choice

                        Syrup or sauce of choice

 

The ingredients

1.    Place a scoop of ice cream in a small bowl

2.    Add the sauce (optional).

Palmiers are made from puff pastry.

 

3.    Place one or two palmiers in the bowl. It depends on the size of the palmier.

4.    Top with berries.

 

Add caption

*I usually use vanilla ice cream, no syrup topped with fresh raspberries.

 

Fish of the Week

 

Fish Curry with Green Peppercorns

 

6-4 oz.            Fish of choice, cubed

½ lb.                New potatoes, quartered

1/2 C               Onion, chopped

1 package      S & B Golden Curry Sauce Mix

1/3 C               Green peppercorns

Water or broth to cover

                        Salt and pepper to taste

 

The ingredient

Green peppercorns and Golden Curry sauce mix

The curry sauce mix I a soft brick that
melts to thicken and season the curry.
All or part od the brick can be used.
It comes in three strengths, mild,
 medium or hot.

 

1.    Place the fish, potatoes and onion in a soup pot and cover with water.

 

2.    Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until the potatoes are tender.

3.    Add The Curry sauce mix.  It comes in a brick.  Break it into smaller pieces and allow it to dissolve.  It will season and thicken the curry.

Peppercorns and sauce mix added.

 

4.    Add the green peppercorns and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sauce mix melted and incorporated

 

5.    The sauce with thicken as it cools.

6.    Serve over steamed rice.

 

 

*Other vegetables can be used.  I usually keep the Golden Curry sauce on hand for quick curry.  You can use any meat or a variety of vegetable and then add the sauce mix.  I often make it by cubing chicken breast, and boiling it with carrots, celery, potatoes and onions.  Sometimes I add peas, corn or green beans.  It is very versatile and comes in three strengths, mild, medium and hot.  It is a good way to use leftovers, too.

I serve this with Urdu Papad which is a cracker like bread.  It comes raw and needs to be toasted over an open flame. 

The package

uncooked



Place over the open flame for less than a second and turn.

Turn it continual to keep from burning.  As it
cooks, it will turn light and bumpy.

Keep turning it over and over until all of
the papad is light and bumpy

It is almost done.

I like to scorched part.  It with
turn hard and crispy as it cools. 
Papad come in differ flavors,
 plain, pepper, and chile

 

Happy Cooking!