As Published by the Georgetown Guide-Easy Bake Without the Oven

Easy Bake Without the Oven

Culinary Quips

By Elizabeth Sabol-Jones

Published: Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Updated: Sunday, March 25, 2012 15:03

Original Link

This week’s quip is mainly aimed at dorm-dwellers but will also appeal to readers who either lack a stove or heavily rely on the microwave for meals. 

We have experienced the hassle of packing up our belongings and moving from home back to Georgetown. By the time we’ve packed, we’re already laden with clothes, bedding and books, so why would we want to add a couple of boxes of pots and pans? Unless you really enjoy cooking, you would not have an incentive to bring kitchen supplies when you have delivery, Leo’s and the restaurants of M Street at your disposal. 

As a result, students’ kitchens are sometimes barren wastelands of Easy Mac boxes, random leftovers and communal forks. Luckily, modern technology gave college students the microwave. There are an array of quick, frozen and often unhealthy snacks. Although these quick-fix meals serve their purpose, often something fresh just tastes best. 

The meals and desserts you can make without using the stove would surprise you. So if you’re not fully prepared to step into the world of stovetop cooking, this is a window into the realm of “microwave magic.”

MICROWAVE MAGIC

Scrambled Eggs:

1. In a small bowl, beat together 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons milk with salt and pepper to taste until blended. 

2. Cook eggs on full power for one to one-and-a-half minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are almost set. Stir. If necessary, cover with plastic wrap and let stand for about 1 minute until eggs are thickened and no visible liquid egg remains.

Instant Chocolate Cake:

1. In a large mug, whisk together 1/4 cup flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons milk, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, a pinch of salt and a dash of vanilla extract until smooth. 

2. Microwave until puffed, about 2 minutes. 

The Best Oatmeal:

1. Take a 1/2 cup instant or regular oats (regular take a bit longer in the microwave) and place in bowl.

http://www.restaurantwidow.com/images/oatmeal_1_1.jpg

2. Add a dash of vanilla and teaspoon of cinnamon and begin microwaving on high for 1 minute.

Elizabeth Sabol-Jones is a junior in the College. CULINARY QUIPS appears every other Friday in the guide.

As Published by The Georgetown Guide-Let Them Eat Cake!

Delicious Cake w/ both fruit & Icing

Let Them Eat Cake

Culinary Quips

By Elizabeth Sabol-Jones

Published: Thursday, February 2, 2012

Updated: Thursday, February 2, 2012 18:02

Original Link to The Guide

For this week's quip, I thought I would take readers through a couple of scenarios in which baking a cake can go awry. As a Chinese language major, the nuances of the language bleed into the various facets of my life, including the kitchen.

In Mandarin Chinese, when you run into an unfortunate situation and feel the need to shout out your frustration, zaogao is a pretty common expression. Now, you may be asking yourself, What does a Chinese cry of distress have to do with a foodie column? Here's your answer: Zaogao's direct translation into English is "wretched cake." And honestly, when you think about it, what could be worse in a kitchen than taking the time to make something, especially a cake, only to taste it and realize you messed up.

Fallen Cake

As I wrote in my previous column, cooking and baking are about taking risks. I would definitely propose that when you first start your culinary adventures in the kitchen, you must recognize that success is one part skill, one part intuition, two parts precision and a whole lot of luck. So even if you think you've made a mistake, make sure you try to problem solve a bit before abandoning your culinary efforts.

So, here are some tips for when things get dicey in the kitchen so that you don't have to start over from scratch, literally:

1. If you have noisy roommates who jump around too much or you mistakenly slam the oven door at the wrong moment, your cake could collapse in the center. It could be still tasty, but if you were aiming for presentation, the Chairman from "Iron Chef" would definitely take off points. Your cake goes flat due to the fact that the rising process was disturbed. As the rising agent (baking soda, baking powder, etc.) works its magic, the stability of the cake's structure becomes more sensitive to disturbances that affect the chemical processes.

Remedy: Never fear, icing is here! If you're concerned about the looks of your cake, and you're planning to frost it, the icing will cover up any sunken-in appearance the cake may expose. Additionally, flipping the cake upside down and then frosting it will give you an even surface.If you want to add an extra ingredient to your solution, fruit could be used as a cake topper that fills in the space where the cake went flat.

2. On some occasions, you might sit down with a lovely slice of cake only to realize it's incredibly dry. This usually happens when the cake pan is too shallow for the amount of batter, or if the cake has been left in the oven too long.

Remedy: One way to prevent this from happening is to use the "toothpick method." First, make sure you check on your cake a few minutes ahead of the suggested bake time. Often the time a cake needs to bake varies based on the oven, altitude and ingredients, so it never hurts to check a couple of minutes early. Second, stick a toothpick straight into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean or with a couple of crumbs, you're basically done. If you're very worried about dryness, then don't wait for the toothpick to be clean, and take the cake out when only a few crumbs are left.

Now, if you've already removed the cake and found it is incredibly dry, here's a creative solution: Pour something on it. Yes, it is as simple as pouring a bit of liquid over your finished product to add some moistness back. A bit of orange juice will give it a citrus flavor or a cup of coffee can curb the sweetness while rejuvenating the cake's texture. And, for the over-21 crowd, a little Bailey's never hurt anyone. The sky's really the limit on what you decide to use, but be sure to pour in small increments so as to avoid flooding your creation.

Almost Perfectly Risen Cake

Elizabeth A. Sabol-Jones is a junior in the College. She can be reached at saboljones@thehoya.com. CULINARY QUIPS appears every other Friday in the guide.

Harry Potter Sweets: "Cauldron Cakes"

Hello Nomsters,
With the release of the final Harry Potter movie less than 48 hours away, I thought this would be a good time to cook up some Harry Potter favorites as a tribute to the epic adventure we've experienced by following "The Boy Who Lived" for the past fourteen years. From the books we read throughout our childhood, to the movies we anticipated during our teen years, it would be neglectful to not take note of the influence that JK Rowling's universe has played in our generation. I'm sure most of us are thinking "how can it actually be the last movie?!" Now, while I know not everyone may be a fan of the series, I can say that this blog and those closely connected to Nightly Noms are in the least Potter fans, if not complete and utter "Potheads."

With billboards scattered around cities with the slogan of "It All Ends," we can't quite help but feel that a huge part of our own childhoods are ending. Just think, for those of us who just turned twenty, it won't be until we're around thirty that we can say that we haven't spent more than half of our life following a certain boy wizard and his friends' adventures. So, in honor of my personal obsession with the adventures of Mr. Potter, and due to the fact that I'm going to see the midnight premiere with friends, I've decide to tweak, bake, and invent some of my own Harry Potter sweet recipes.

I thought that cooking up some Cauldron Cakes would be a fun experiment and spent some time debating about the best way of executing a recipe. Should we make a lava cake? Chocolate vs. Cinnamon? Cauldron shaped vs. the traditional baking pan? In the end we decided to go with a recipe of chocolate cinnamon cupcake with a caramel cream cheese filling (to mimic a bubbling over effect.") We hope you enjoy these Potter-inspired recipes and look out for an upcoming post for Butterbeer Ice Cream Floats


"Cauldron Cakes"
Cakes
Ingredients

-1 1/4 Flour (sifted)
-1/2 cup Cocoa Powder (sifted)
-2 to 3 tsp Cinnamon (sifted)
-1 1/4 cup Sugar
-1 cup Milk (room temp, can be 2% or whole, if you only have skim, you can use that and add a bit of cream)
-1/2 tsp Baking Soda
-1/4 tsp Salt (sifted)
-Vanilla
-2 Eggs (room temp)
Along with the Cauldron Cakes, Exploding Bon Bons sounded like a good challenge so we've included a recipe for our version of those also.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard cupcake pan with baking cups (or spray with pam, or use saran wrap and rub butter to avoid sticking).

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl/measuring cup.

3. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy. Stop to add the sugar; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly after each addition.

4. Combine the vanilla extract and milk in a large liquid measuring cup.

5. Reduce the speed to low. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then gradually add one-third of the milk mixture, beating until well incorporated. Add another one-third of the flour mixture, followed by one-third of the milk mixture. Stop to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining milk mixture, and beat just until combined.

6.Add the sifted cocoa powder and cinnamon, beating (on low speed) just until incorporated.

7. Use a standard-size ice cream scoop to fill each cupcake paper with batter, so that the wells are about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Then, using a spoon, place a dollop of your filling into the center (don't push down!) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (start checking at 15 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the center/side of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. If you use a mini bundt pan and can't get them out without smooshing them, then place a piece of saran wrap over a cookie tray, place it on top of the bundt pan, and flip it. Then, lightly tap the tin in an attempt to get them loose.

Filling/Icing
Ingredients
-1 8oz package Cream Cheese
-1/4 to 1/2 stick Butter
-1 tsp Vanilla
-1/4 package of Instant Vanilla pudding mix OR 1/2-1 cup of Confectioners (Powdered) sugar
-4 to 7 Tbsp Maple Syrup (sweeten to taste, but in small increments to monitor filling consistency)

Method
1. place your softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to incorporate them into each other. Add roughly a tsp of Vanilla, mix,
2. Add either your pudding mix or the confectioners sugar and mix well,
3. Add in maple syrup and mix until creamy
4. See Cake recipe above for filling prodecure

Now, I have to admit that I was a bit worried about how these would come out; but, in the end they came out better than I could have imagined. In the end, you could actually keep them upright or flip them right side up (since I used a decorative bundt pan). Originally I had planned to use a cupcake pan with baking cups, but after rummaging around my kitchen I found the perfect pan, so I decided to use that rather.

Depending on how much filling you place in the baking cup/batter, you get a larger "hole" in the center, giving them their Cauldron-like appearance! I personally made up the recipe for my filling, but I'd probably play with it a little more to perfect the taste, or I would use cream cheese frosting. As you can see from the pictures, I used some of the left over icing to give the cakes a "bubbling" effect. That just requires the use of a steady hand, or a self-made piping bag. My friends and I will be munching on these tonight as we anxiously wait to head to the theater, so hopefully I'll be able to post more feedback in my next post :)


Finally, before Potter fans around the world dress up, line up, and excitedly chatter about all of the insanely wicked memories they have that relate to world of Harry Potter, we raise our Cauldron Cakes in honor of some of the best adventure stories of our time and hope for many more!

nox, 


The Georgetown Foodie


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