Recipes – The Ginger Scone Diaries (2024)

zucchini madness

I love zucchini bread, and when I came across this one. I had to try it. It looked absolutely perfect on her blog, and the results were perfect too. The addition of brown sugar is key when making zucchini bread. I’ve tried many recipes in the past, and the ones that call for brown sugar win me over every time.

I made mini loaves first, then little zucchini madeleines with the leftover batter. Just buttered the pan, and dropped a tablespoon of batter into each one.

To finish it off, I made a quick icing/glaze with:

1 c. confectioners sugar , 3 Tbsp. milk, and 1/2 of a vanilla bean (scraped)

Zucchini Bread (via Chocolate Shavings)

1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of white sugar
1 cup of canola oil
3 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
3 cups of grated zucchini
3 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp of cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350F.

In big mixing bowl, add the sugars, oil, eggs, vanilla and zucchini. Mix. Add in the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon and whisk until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Grease two small loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Leave to cool on a cooling rack for a couple minutes, and serve. Enjoy!

chocolate vanilla bean pots de creme with cacaonibs

May 7, 2009, 11:18 pm
Filed under: Recipes, Sweet

Chocolate Pots de Cremes:

2 lg. eggs

6oz. dark chocolate

1/2 vanilla bean, scraped

1 c. heavy cream, scalded

In a blender, add: eggs, chocolate and vanilla bean seeds. Blend until smooth (about 30 seconds) Slowly add the scalded cream and continue blending until well incorporated.

Pour the custard into pots de creme cups, or small ramekins and cover with plastic wrap. Place on a sheet pan and chill in the refrigerator 2 hours, or overnight.

Before serving, top with cacao nibs and serve with tea or coffee.

toasted black sesame white chocolatebark

Black sesame seeds are more flavorful and have a stronger aroma than white or brown sesame seeds. Toasting the seeds enhances that flavor. They’re rich in a fatty oil, between 40% and 60%, which has a distinctive flavor; this pairs nicely with the sweetness of the white chocolate.

white chocolate bark with toasted black sesame seeds

1 pound white chocolate, chopped (do not use chips)

black sesame seeds, toasted.

1/4 tsp. sesame oil

~ Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; line with waxed paper and set aside

~ Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat, add sesame oil and stir to combine.

~ Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet; using a spatula, spread evenly to a 1/4-inch thickness.

~ Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds; with a piece of waxed paper covering the entire surface, press in gently. Chill until firm, 20 to 30 minutes

~ Peel waxed paper off. Break bark into 2-inch pieces. Enjoy!

yogurt cheese

April 19, 2009, 1:11 am
Filed under: Recipes, Sweet

So, yogurt cheese… just may be the simplest thing to make. Ever.

If you’re fortunate enough to have made your own yogurt, I’d use that… however, using you’re favorite purchased yogurt is just fine too. I used my favorite: Nancy’s Honey Whole Milk Yogurt, and was quite pleased with the results.

2 Quarts yogurt

4 layers of fine cheesecloth

1. Place cheesecloth in a strainer over a bowl.

2. Place yogurt onto cheesecloth

3. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. The whey will separate from the curds and drain into the bowl, leaving behind the yogurt cheese which will have the consistency of a soft cream cheese. Transfer into a jar and fold in honey or berries, to enjoy on your favorite bagel or toast.

why, how very 17th century ofyou…

April 10, 2009, 3:27 pm
Filed under: Recipes

How amazing is this: The Wellcome Library recently published its entire collection of 17th century receipt (recipe) books in PDF form. They contain medicinal and culinary recipes, mostly written by women. The image above is from item No. 43, Mrs. Mary Miller’s book of recipes from 1660. *Love* this!

jams and jellies

Apricot Marmalade

• 3 pounds apricots
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped orange zest
• 1 cup orange sections
• 2/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 half-pint jars and matching lids (use new lids only)

Pit and quarter the apricots (There should be approximately 9 cups).

In a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan, combine the apricots, zest, orange sections, juice and sugar. Allow to stand for 1 hour at room temperature.

Cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 1-1/2 hours, or until mixture looks glazed and clear liquid is no longer visible. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, for another 30 minutes until the marmalade is thick. Sterilize the jars by washing and rinsing them in the dishwasher without detergent; keep them warm in a 250 degree-F oven. Pour boiling water over the lids to soften the rubber seals.

Ladle the hot marmalade into the hot jars, filling to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe the rims and seal with the hot lids and metal bands. Place the jars on a rack, without touching, in a large, deep pot with water to cover by 1 inch. Cover and boil for 15 minutes. Use tongs to remove the jars to a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature. Check the seals. The jars are sealed when the center of the lid is slightly indented and cannot be pressed in with your fingertip.

Makes 3 half-pints

Blackberry Bayleaf Jam

• 3 pounds fresh blackberries
• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon, plus 4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 1 or 2 dried bay leaves

1. Place a few small plates in the freezer. Stir together berries, sugar, lemon zest and juice, salt, and bay leaves in a large, heavy stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and mashing lightly with a potato masher. Skim foam from surface. Cook, stirring more frequently as jam thickens, until it is the consistency of very loose jelly, 10 to 11 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
2. Remove a plate from freezer, and drop a spoonful of jam on it. Return to freezer for 1 to 2 minutes, then gently nudge edge of jam with a finger. If jam is ready, it should hold its shape. If jam is too thin and spreads out, return to a boil, testing every minute, until done. Remove bay leaves, and discard.
3. Remove a plate from freezer, and drop a spoonful of jam on it. Return to freezer for 1 to 2 minutes, then gently nudge edge of jam with a finger. If jam is ready, it should hold its shape. If jam is too thin and spreads out, return to a boil, testing every minute, until done. Remove bay leaves, and discard.

Thank you, Martha.

Ginger Butter

½ lb crystallized ginger

• Bring some water to a boil in a teapot (you can use a saucepan, but it’s easier to pour into the food processor this way)
• Put chopped crystallized ginger into a food processor and puree until the ginger has broken down into a thick paste.
• While the food processor is still going, slowly add hot water little by little until a spreadable consistency is achieved.
• Ladle into bowl or jars and allow to cool slightly
• Enjoy with slices of Brie, or on your favorite toast (or both, if you’re like me)

cakelettes for breakfast?

if they’re waffle cakelettes, then yes.

Buttermilk Waffle Cakelettes (or What to do with Leftover Waffles…)

I started with this recipe, to make the waffles the day before… had some for breakfast, and saved the leftover waffles in a ziplock bag. I used my favorite basic yellow cake recipe for the batter…. cut three of the leftover waffles in small enough pieces that would make my little Cuisinart happy, and pulsed it a few times to get waffles crumbs (about 2 cups worth). I added those to the batter, and just like that: buttermilk waffle cake batter. Divided it evenly into tiny souffle cups (filling each cup half way) and baked them for 20 minutes at 325º (rotating half way through).

Basic Yellow Cake Ingredients

Make about 3 cups of batter.

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
• 1 1/3 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted, plus more for pans
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-by-2- inch round cake pan, (or not, if making cakelettes) line with parchment, and coat parchment with more butter. Flour the buttered pan, and tap out excess flour; set pan aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, and then the eggs, one at a time, beating each until fully incorporated before adding the next.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture and milk to the egg mixture in three additions, beginning with the milk and ending with the flour, and alternating with the milk.
3. Transfer batter to prepared pan, or cakelette papers, and bake until the top of cake springs back when pressed and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan, transfer to cooling rack, and cool completely. Transfer to a cooling rack, and cool completely.

weekend waffles

No plans for the first time in weeks, and what do I want to do with my weekend? Make waffles.

Classic Buttermilk Waffles

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6.

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted unsalted butter, plus more for waffle iron
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, separated, room temperature
• 2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Grease waffle iron with a small amount of melted butter, and heat. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. Pour into dry mixture, and combine.
3. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into batter.
4. Ladle about 1/3 cup batter onto each section of the waffle grid; spread batter almost to the edges. Close lid, and bake 3 to 5 minutes, until no steam emerges from waffle iron.
5. Transfer cooked waffles to a baking sheet; place in an oven set to low heat, about 200 degrees, while using remaining batter.