The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook - Martha Stewart Living Magazine [380]
5. Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back when touched in the center, about 1 hour. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into squares.
steel-cut oat porridge
SERVES 4
Steel-cut oats (also called Irish or Scottish oats) take longer to cook than rolled oats but are creamier and chewier.
1¼ cups skim milk
1 whole cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup steel-cut oats
1 banana
4 Medjool dates, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons brown flaxseed
1. Bring 3 cups water, 1 cup milk, the cinnamon stick, and the salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the oats. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; partially cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick and the oats are tender, about 25 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick.
2. Cut the banana crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Top the porridge with the banana and dates. Sprinkle with flaxseed. Drizzle each serving with 1 tablespoon milk.
SOAKING STEEL-CUT OATS
Steel-cut oats, also known as Irish or Scottish oats, are the result of chopping the whole oat grains into small pieces with steel blades. Rolled (or old-fashioned) oats, on the other hand, are steamed and flattened before being cut to make them more tender. For this reason, they cook much faster than the steel-cut variety and are often preferred as an everyday option. But if you prefer the pleasantly chewy texture offered by steel-cut oats, there is a way to reduce the cooking time by almost half without sacrificing taste or texture. Simply soak the oats overnight in a pot of water to begin softening the very hard coating that surrounds each grain. Bring the water to a boil before stirring in the oats to jump-start the softening process, and then allow the mixture to come back to room temperature and sit, covered, overnight. In the morning, all you will need to do is warm the oats over medium-low heat, stir, and serve.
Even if you don’t have time to or forget to soak the oats, you can still make them in the morning; it will just take a little bit longer. Stir the oats into boiling, salted water, and simmer for about half an hour. Don’t stir too often; it will break up the grains and make the texture gluey.
You might also decide to toast the oats before cooking to bring out their nutty flavor. Simply heat a little melted butter over medium heat and toast the oats, tossing them gently in the pan or stirring a little with a spoon, until brown and fragrant. Then cook in simmering water.
cottage cheese pancakes with lemon
MAKES 24; SERVES 6
After making the batter, cook the pancakes immediately to ensure they retain their volume.
6 large eggs, separated, yolks lightly beaten
Pinch of cream of tartar
2 cups 2% cottage cheese
¼ cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
2 lemons (1 zested; 1 cut into wedges)
1. Beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar; beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
2. Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir together the yolks, cottage cheese, granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk in one-third of the whites. In 2 batches, gently fold in the remaining whites with a rubber spatula.
3. Spray a griddle with cooking spray; heat until a drop of batter sizzles upon contact. Working in batches, pour ¼ cup batter per pancake onto the griddle; cook until the surfaces bubble and the edges are slightly dry, about 1 minute. Flip the pancakes; cook until the undersides are golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Divide the confectioners’ sugar among the pancakes. Serve sprinkled with lemon zest and with lemon wedges on the side.
FIT TO