Pumpkin Belgian Waffles

Well, that was fun :)


I'm talking about the most glorious time of the year: holiday parties, peppermint-flavored everything, Christmas lights and shopping, family gatherings, gluttonous "let loose - it's the holidays!" type of dinners (my favorite), out-of-town visitors and Napa excursions, and THREE separate pumpkin waffle brunches.



Wait, did you just catch that? Three back-to-back brunches of pumpkin waffles?? Yeah, apparently there's no such thing as variety in the Choi household. But hey, I'm a firm believer that if you've found something that works...keep it coming! :)



Not only do these waffles work -- but they've been tested to perfection (90+ times!) via this blog. That's right, an entire blog dedicated to pumpkin waffles...ummmmm, who's the obsessed one now? Anyway, this recipe yields a wonderfully spicy waffle with a bold pumpkin flavor. Depending on how you cook them, they can turn out either light and crispy [less batter with a longer cooking time] or a bit thicker and chewier [more batter with a shorter cooking time]. I prefer the former, but both versions are pretty tasty.



Although our pumpkin intake was just a teensy bit overkill this Christmas season, I think we've discovered a new annual (pumpkin) tradition. And the best thing about traditions is that they're frequented often :D

Hope everyone had a great holiday...2011, here we come!



The Ultimate Pumpkin Waffle
Recipe from PumpkinWaffles

1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm

1. Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil, and set it to the desired temperature.

2. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and whisk to blend.

3. Separate eggs: yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.

4. Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks. Whisk to blend and set aside.

5. Whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form – about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Set aside.

6. Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, whisk to combine.

7. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix them together until just combined. A little lumpiness is fine. That will smooth out when the egg whites are added.

8. Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.

9. Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter. For my belgian waffle maker (All-Clad), I use 1/3 C batter per section. Cook time is around 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Continue reading for recipe...

Fluffy Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

Oh, hello -- remember me?? I used to be the girl who would cook and happily snap photos along the way, and then stop to "reflect" and blog about it afterwards. Only, something happened to me over these past couple of months...and between work, traveling and life, I decided that picking up a camera with flour-covered hands, two fryer pans madly sizzling on the burner, and a timer beeping away in the background may not be in my best interest after all!

So I did away with rushed photos and painfully composed words (yo no soy un escritor), and did what normal people do -- cook, eat, and relax. And yes, it was glorious :)



So what's up with these lemon-ricotta pancake photos and new blog post?? Well, turns out I'm borderline abnormal (surprise, surprise) because I sometimes enjoy documenting my food experiences and recipes. Especially when they are good...and this one is pretty darn good.



AC and I are not usually breakfast people, and I hadn't made pancakes in yeeaaaars -- but it was Mother's Day weekend. And even though AC's parents live in Seoul and my parents were traipsing around South Africa on vacation...it's the thought that counts, right? ;)

In all honesty, we made these because we had about 3 ginormous lbs of lemons from my grandfather's meyer lemon tree that my parents had dropped off before leaving for Africa a couple of weeks ago. Half of them had already begun to spoil -- and the inner Chinese in me was definitely not going to let the rest go to waste. Plus, after walking by Bette's Oceanview Diner the other day and "bird-dogging" (as AC puts it) platefuls and platefuls of beautiful breakfast combinations, I suddenly felt inspired. So lemon-ricotta pancakes it was!



Mind you, these aren't just normal pancakes. Eggs whites that have been whipped to a meringue are then folded into a creamy ricotta mixture to create a texture that's incredibly light and fluffy. They're almost like mini souffles -- ethereal, creamy and delicate. For those looking for a perfect Mother's Day treat, these bright lemon-scented clouds won't disappoint. Just make sure to invite your mothers... :D

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Adapted from Gourmet, September 1991

4 large eggs, separated
1 1/3 cups ricotta
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
melted butter for brushing the griddle
maple syrup and fresh berries as an accompaniment

In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, the ricotta, the sugar, and the zest, add the flour, and stir the mixture until it is just combined. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they hold stiff peaks, whisk about one fourth of them into the ricotta mixture, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Heat a griddle over moderately high heat until it is hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface and brush it with some of the melted butter. Working in batches, pour the batter onto the griddle by 1/4-cup measures and cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden, brushing the griddle with some of the melted butter as necessary. Transfer the pancakes as they are cooked to a heatproof platter and keep them warm in a preheated 200°F. oven.

Serve the pancakes with fresh berries and maple syrup. Continue reading for recipe...

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

I've been in a little bit of a blogging rut lately. You see, I'm not really a writer -- far from it, actually. I was supposed to be in the MENU program at college (Mathematical Experience for Northwestern Undergraduates...yeah, don't judge) before I almost flunked out of my first math class freshman year. As my dad always told me, "When it comes to mathematical theory, sometimes you just hit that brick wall and can't get around it. Not too much you can do about that." Which is apparently very true. So I chose to study economics instead, and spent 4 exciting years buried in problem sets. Math to econ -- I'm quite the rebel, eh? ;) Anyway, I think I wrote about 3 essays my entire college career. Which is why it's actually pretty funny that I have a blog.

So what happens when you lose your (made up) writing mojo? Get back to the basics, and I mean basics of all sorts. I always get a little nostalgic when I make this coffee cake because it's one of my very first "baking experiments" growing up. It was around high school when I made this for a good friend's potluck party. What were we doing having potlucks as teenagers?? I have no idea. But apparently we were already old-at-heart back then...

This four (does jam count?) -- ok three -- layer coffee cake is one of my favorites. The bottom cake layer is flavored with almond extract and sour cream, which gives the spongy cake a refreshingly bold taste. Next is the cream cheese filling, which provides a very creamy and moist contrast to the cake. And then finally a thin layer of raspberry jam, followed by a wonderfully sweet and buttery almond crumb topping. This is always a crowd pleaser, and best of all, it's easy! I mean, if I made this in high school almost a decade (gulp!) ago, it's gotta be fairly basic.

Anyway, sorry for the lack of photos. I've also seemed to lose my picture-taking mojo as well. Hopefully, I'll see an uptick in both of these sometime soon...

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Recipe dug up from my mom's cooking files

2 1/4 C flour
3/4 C sugar
3/4 C butter
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 C sour cream
1 t almond extract
1 egg
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/2 C sugar
1 egg
1/2 C raspberry jam or preserves
1/2 C sliced almonds

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour and 3/4 C sugar. Mix well. With 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 C crumb mixture.

To remaining crumb mixture, add baking powder, baking soda, sour cream, almond extract and egg. Blen well. Spread batter over bottom and 2 inches up sides (about 1/4 inch thick) of greased and floured pan.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/4 C sugar and 1 egg. Blend well. Pour into bater lined pan. Carefully spoon jam evenly over cream cheese mixture.

In a small bowl, combine served crumb mixture and sliced almonds. Sprinkle over layer of raspberry preserves.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes until cream cheese filling is set and crust is lightly browned. Cool 15 minutes and remove sides of pan. Continue reading for recipe...

Pumpkin Bread w/ Raisins and Walnuts

T-minus eight days until Christmas....eeeekkkk!! Last I checked, it was just Thanksgiving and our waistlines were still recovering from the damage. Now it's already the season of Christmas cookies and office holiday treats?? When time flies this fast, it must mean you're really getting old!

Anyway, this pumpkin bread is one of our favorite holiday traditions during this time of the year. If you haven't noticed, tradition = food in our household. The recipe actually comes from another old family friend (who owns a vineyard in Napa, btw!), so this has been around in my family for years. AC likes it because it has a very smooth pumpkin taste -- not too sweet nor spicy. I love it because the texture is insanely moist and soft from the pumpkin puree. Plump, juicy raisins and little bits of walnuts tie the whole ensemble together perfectly.



I sometimes eat this with a nice, thick layer of cream cheese spread over each slice. I grew up doing this -- that, as well as eating avocado topped with mayonnaise as our "vegetables" for dinner -- and it makes each bite absolutely divine. It's similar to a pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese frosting, only a bit more calm/grounded and not as cracked-out-in-sugar (if you know what I mean). Besides, isn't everything better with cream cheese? ;)

Phyllis's Pumpkin Bread
Recipe adapted from Phyllis, an old family friend

2/3 C butter, room temperature
2 2/3 C sugar
4 eggs
1 lb canned pumpkin
2/3 C water

3 1/3 C flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground cloves
1 C raisins
2/3 C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, pumpkin and water. Mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Add to butter bowl, and stir until just mixed in. Add raisins and chopped walnuts.

Divide batter between two 9x5 loaf tins. Bake about 50 minutes, until done. Continue reading for recipe...

Potato-Crusted Quiche with Smoked Cheddar and Canadian Bacon

With family events, we always seem to be running late. Granted, if something starts at 5 p.m. -- to my family, that really means 4:45 p.m sharp...which is why tardiness just so happens to be a perpetual trend for us.



For Thanksgiving, this was no exception. As we were madly putting the final touches on the banana cream pie, we were just starting to even think about the appetizer dish that we needed to bring. Luckily for us, we had already decided on mini quiches-- which like most egg dishes, are incredibly easy and straightforward (coincidence, eh?). Yup...good thing we had nothing to do with the main course this year! :P


Anyway, this variation on a quiche is especially delicious because it uses a hash brown potato crust instead of the typical pastry pie crust. Not only does this provide a nice contrast to the eggs, but it's also a much healthier alternative, which becomes somewhat more important during any holiday season of gluttony. Like most egg frittatas or quiches, you can essentially add anything you want into the egg mixture. We used Canadian bacon for substance (meat is king in our household) and a bit of saltiness, smoked cheddar for gooey cheesiness, and spinach, zucchini, red bell pepper, and onions for more color and flavor.



One thing to note is that this dish should be baked and served in a normal pie pan. Because we wanted to make it a bit more "finger-food friendly", we used individual cupcake trays instead. While the idea was cute, it altered the hash brown crust -- and instead of a nice crispy potato crust, the egg mixture leaked through the hash browns so that there was less contrast between the crust and everything else. The below recipe reflects the original pie pan method for a crispier hash brown crust. There's nothing like a warm, cheesy potato and egg breakfast...or dinner :D

Potato-Crusted Quiche
Adapted from Bon Appetit, December 1998

1 lb shredded potatoes, soaked in ice water (or frozen hash browns, thawed)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced Canadian bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup zucchini
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

8 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 10-inch glass pie dish with vegetable oil spray. Mix potatoes, garlic, and eggs together in a bowl. Firmly press the potato mixture into pie pan until it fully covers the bottom of the dish, and is halfway up the sides. Spray lightly with Pam olive oil. Bake about 15 minutes, until crispy.

Heat olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, red bell pepper, zucchini and thyme and sauté 5 minutes. Add Canadian bacon and spinach; sauté until heated through, about 1 minute. Spoon bacon mixture over potatoes in pie dish.

Whisk eggs, salt and pepper in large bowl to blend. Mix in cheese. Pour egg mixture over bacon mixture in dish. Bake quiche until set in center, about 35 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Cut into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Continue reading for recipe...

Glazed Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake

You'll just have to trust me when I say that this is the most delicious cake/bread I've ever tasted. I'm usually fairly hesitant to make such dramatic, grandiose statements like that (because doesn't something better always come along??)...but with this one, I may just have to take the plunge.



I'm actually a little disappointed because I made this for a work event, and unlike most not-so-kind-on-the-waistline treats that I bake and am more than happy to give away...I felt a twinge of regret for not being able to keep the entire cake for ourselves this time. And no, I wasn't alone in those greedy sentiments :P. After our obligatory "taste test" (somebody's gotta do it!), AC was also wondering if we could save a couple of slices for ourselves.



What I love about this cake is that it's vibrant in both taste and texture. With fresh lemon zest in the batter and lemon juice in the glaze, the cake has a bright and intense citrus flavor that explodes in your mouth. Poppy seeds further liven it up with their fun and "poppy" (for lack of a better word) texture.



But what really brings everything together is the lemon glaze. Refreshingly tart and zesty, the sugary topping compliments the soft and fluffy cake perfectly. It's like what cream cheese frosting is to a red velvet cupcake -- delicious and absolutely essential.



Like most baked goods, this tastes best straight out of the oven when the exterior is slightly crispy, and the warm center is still giving off soft bursts of hot steam. This did very well at my company's bake sale, thankyouverymuch. I'm sure we'll be making it again soon! :D

Glazed Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake
Adapted from Gourmet, May 2007

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 t lemon zest (or zest from 1 whole lemon)
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (I used a 8.5 inch loaf pan -- cooking time will need to be adjusted).

Whisk together flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter and granulated sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and poppy seeds and mix until just combined.

Transfer batter to cake pan, smoothing top, and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and top is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then invert onto rack.

Whisk together confectioners sugar and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth. Pour glaze over warm cake, spreading it with a spatula to drizzle over edge. Let stand until glaze is set, about 15 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.
Continue reading for recipe...

Sour Cream-Streusel Coffee Cake for NYC!

Off to NYC! :D

The last time we were in New York was almost 3 years ago when AC used to live there, so we're pretty excited. While our visit is already jam packed with wedding festivities, work, dinner engagements, and of course, family time...I still want to try to sneak a meal in at one of David Chang's infamous restaurants. What I've literally been thinking about all day is (no joke), Momofuku ssam bar or noodle bar -- suggestions, anyone?!





Anyway, here's some coffee cake that I made for our lovely host who will be graciously sharing her tiny NYC apt with us all week. Sour cream cakes are one of my favorite because they're extra moist and tender. This one gets bonus points from its delicious cinnamon/walnut streusel, which when layered into the batter, gives the soft cake a wonderful texture and flavor.







Oh, you know I'm packing some of this with us for our upcoming 6-hour long transcontinental flight. ;) NYC, here we come!

Sour Cream-Streusel Coffee Cake
Adapted from Bon Appetit, December 1998

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 16-ounce container sour cream

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 12-cup Bundt pan. Mix first 4 ingredients in small bowl. Set nut mixture aside. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and sour cream alternately into butter mixture in 3 additions.

Pour 1/3 of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of nut mixture. Spoon 1/3 of batter over. Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture. Spoon remaining batter over.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Turn cake out onto rack and cool 1 hour. Transfer to platter.

Whisk powdered sugar and milk in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over coffee cake. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Continue reading for recipe...

Orange Cranberry Scones

I picked up a scone from Starbucks the other day, and was severely disappointed. Hard, doughy and more like a blueberry biscuit than anything -- it was the ultimate insult to what a scone should be. Feeling totally unsatisfied and cheated of my scone allotment, I went home in search of something that would be able to somewhat redeem the biscuit I had earlier.


Well, I think found it. This (dare I say) perfect scone recipe yields buttery and flaky scones that become delicately crumbly in your mouth. AC and I ate them right when they came out of the oven (hard to resist when a rich buttery aroma is wafting through your entire apartment!), and they were unbelievably soft, fluffy and flavorful. The scones also have a subtle orange essence that compliments the tartness of the cranberries wonderfully. My only complaint is that they definitely didn't taste as good the day after...does anyone know if that's common for most scone recipes?


Cranberry-Orange Scones
Adapted from Bon Appetit, November 1998

Makes 10

3 C all purpose flour
1/3 C sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
2 T grated orange peel
3/4 C chilled, unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 C dried cranberries
1 C chilled buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Mix in orange peel. Cut the butter into the flour until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in dried cranberries. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly to bind dough, about 4 turns. Form dough into 1.5-inch thick round or rectangle. Cut into 10 triangles. Transfer wedges to baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until tops are slightly browned, about 15-20 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet, and then transfer to cooling rack. Continue reading for recipe...

Blueberry Maple Granola

This should really be a post about how AC thinks everyone in California wears Birkenstocks and eats granola all day :P But regardless of his misconception, I think I'm getting closer to my perfect bowl of granola.


Some people like their granola really soft so it turns slightly soggy when mixed with yogurt or milk. Some like it on the other extreme, where it almost hurts your teeth because it's so crunchy (even when in yogurt/milk!). I like it somewhere in between, but definitely with a lot of clusters.

While this granola recipe didn't yield as many clusters as I had hoped for (more on this later), its flavor turned out better than most of my 4-5 previous attempts at homemade granola. I think that's because this recipe tells you to toast the nuts separately from the oat mixture, and then add them in with the dried fruit at the very end. This prevents the over/under baking of "goodies" that usually happens when you mix everything together in the beginning and bake in one big batch.




Extreme Granola
Adapted from Epicurious, July 2008

Makes about 7 cups

1 C almonds
4 C old-fashioned rolled oats
4 T unsalted butter
1/3 C pure maple syrup or honey
1/2 C dried blueberries
1/2 C dried cherries (or other fruit such as dates, cranberries, etc.)
1/4 C sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and line a large shallow baking sheet with foil. Spread the nuts on the sheet and roast for 8-10 minutes, until lightly toasted. Transfer browned nuts to a board and chop. Set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the maple syrup. Mix this syrup with the oats and shredded coconut. Pour mixture onto the baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake for 30 min, stirring once with a spatula halfway through, until the oats are lightly colored. Let cool; toss with dried fruit and nuts.

*For crunchier granola, add 1-2 egg whites to the oat mixture before baking
** I've read that you can create more clusters by adding H20 to the mixture. Essentially the wetter the oats, the more likely they will cluster. I love my clusters -- so I'll test out this water theory next time, and let you know how it works...
Continue reading for recipe...