Easy Recipes

When it comes to food allergies, there are some real rough ones out there. People so sensitive to cross-contamination that they can never eat at restaurants, or passengers who can scarcely breathe the air on planes serving in-flight peanuts. Compared to them, my sister has it pretty easy. All she has to avoid is sesame seeds. Beyond a proper tahini-laden falafel and the occasional bun or bagel, theres not much she misses. But these days, I feel a bit sorry for her. Because she cant eat these sesame-ginger rice krispie treats.

This recipe comes from the mad geniuses at Momofuku Milk Bar (via Gilt Taste), and for the most part follows the standard 1920s formula. Youve got the usual sticky-sweet goo of melted marshmallows and a bit of butter, used to pull together a pile of rice cereal into something far more delicious than the sum of its parts. But heres the simple addition that takes it up several notches: toasted sesame seeds and fresh ginger juice. Thats it, but it feels like so much more. The seeds give a nutty depth, and the ginger juice gives a shot of spicy-hot flavor. Together they cut through the sweetness a bit, keeping things from getting too cloying, but still keeping it firmly in the realm of a sweetly addictive dessert. Its comfort food gone elegant, and unless your allergy restrictions require otherwise, I strongly recommend giving it a go.


Sesame-Ginger Rice Krispie Treats

adapted, but hardly, from Helen Jo at Momofuku Milk Bar, via Gilt Taste
yields ~50 (the original recipe made twice this amount, which I think would lead to some very poor choices, so I halved it)

1 Tbsp white sesame seeds
1 Tbsp black sesame seeds (if you cant find them, feel free to use all white sesame seeds)
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 Tbsp ginger juice (I like to grate the ginger and then squeeze the juice out with a garlic press)
pinch salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows (I used vegan marshmallows, which took a while to melt but worked fine in the end)
3 cups Rice Krispies (or its hippie equivalent)

Butter an 8" square pan and set aside. Heat a large pot over a medium-low heat, and dry-toast the sesame seeds, moving them around so they toast evenly, until the white ones have darkened slightly (~4-5 minutes). Transfer to a small dish.

Add the butter, ginger juice, salt and marshmallows to the pot. Cook, stirring, until the marshmallows are totally melted. Remove from heat, then add the Rice Krispies and sesame seeds, stirring well until the mixture is well-combined. Turn the mixture out into the buttered pan, pressing firmly to compress it evenly. When it cools, turn it out and cut into bite-sized pieces (seriously, go for bite-sized -- these pack a wallop).

When I bake the Honey Ginger cake, it brings back memories visiting my grandfather as a child.  He would go to the local bakery and I buy me a slice of ginger cake.  Hope you enjoy this recipe.





Ingredients

• 2/3 cups of honey, liquid
• 5 ounces of butter
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar 
• 3 eggs 
• 2 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves, ground
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 to 2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground 
• 1/2 a cup of candied fruit cake mix, chopped
• 1/8 cup of candied ginger, chopped

Kitchen Utensils

• large bowl
• medium bowl
• electric or hand mixer
• wooden spoon
• measuring cup 
• toothpick or long skewer

Instructions:
1: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter, honey and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

 
2:  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground cloves, ground ginger and cinnamon.
 
3: Add the flour mixture a little at a time into the egg mixture. Mix with an electric mixer.  Continue adding a little at a time of the flour mixture.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then fold in the candied fruits.

4: Butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, a loaf pan. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan  Bake in the center of a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 50 to 60 minutes. 

5: Insert with a toothpick or a long skewer into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. If the toothpick comes out moist, then bake the cake a little longer. 

6: Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with coffee, tea, milk or even hot chocolate! Enjoy!

Honey Ginger Cake Recipe - Honning Ingefær Kage Opskrift by Karen Grete & Heidi (mother/daughter team). 

We hope you enjoyed the Honey Ginger Cake video! Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel Scandinavian Today.  Our channel has videos including
*how to make Danish Christmas rice pudding with cherry sauce dessert recipe (Risalamande med kirsebærsauce)
*How to make St Lucia Buns - A Swedish Saint Lucia Saffron Bun Recipe - Lussekatter
*how to make Swedish Glogg for Christmas & cold evenings! (glögg or mulled wine recipe) 
*Janssons Temptation A Swedish Christmas dish - Janssons Frestelse
*How to make Swedish Sour Cream Cucumber Salad with Dill. svensk gurksallad.
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*Brunsviger - A classic Danish cinnamon coffee cake
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*how to make Danish Christmas Klejner
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*How to make Danish Cucumber Salad (Agurksalat)
*How to Make Marzipan for Scandinavian Baking & Candies A simple homemade recipe- marcipan - marsipan
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Having a food blog can give a false impression of ones culinary prowess. Sure, I can freestyle a healthy kale & quiona pilaf, bake up a rustic-yet-elegant rosemary honey apple galette, and decorate deliciously naughty baby shower cookies. But behind the scenes are my secret failures. For one, theres my inability to produce a decent pot of rice. Rice, people. I dont know if its my proportions, my pot, or my inability to let it cook without peeking (or some combination of the three), but its never that absolutely perfect rice of my dreams. And another: no matter my best intentions, I seem constitutionally incapable of preparing fish without overcooking it. Until now.

The secret to my newfound success? Steaming. Ive pan-fried, baked and roasted before, but never steamed. Which is a shame, because this method is great: the gentle heat lets the fish cook slowly and evenly, and the steam keeps it nice and moist. The subtle flavor of the fish comes through clearly, and even repeat offenders like me end up with a perfectly-cooked dish.

This particular recipe comes from my friend Sally Li, who prepared it for a recent dinner in celebration of the Chinese New Year. Fish is an auspicious new years menu item, its characters sounding like the word for abundant wealth. And who doesnt want that? Any fish dish will suffice, but Li chose a traditional preparation where steaks or fillets are gently steamed, along with a few coins of ginger to remove any "fishy" smell. The simple steamed fish is then topped with fresh ginger and scallions, and a bit of sugar, soy sauce and wine, which all come together into a beautifully cohesive dish when topped with a dramatic drizzle of hot oil. You can find the recipe here, and read more about Sallys New Year celebration at The Oregonian. Next up: perfect rice.