The Perfect Pantry

White whole wheat flour (Recipe: carrot cake cupcakes with lemon frosting)

In a famous series of television commercials from the 1970s, we watched the patrons in restaurants around the country as a male voice-over whispered, "We are here at (insert name of fine-dining restaurant), where we've secretly replaced the fine coffee they usually serve with (the instant brand). Let's see if anyone can tell the difference."

Of course, nobody could tell the difference. Not one single coffee drinker.

That's how it works in TV land, but that's also how it works in my kitchen when I substitute white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose unbleached white flour I usually use.

Sugar, cookies (Recipe: the world's best sugar cookie)

We interrupt our regular programming to celebrate Mothers' Day, which in my kitchen is synonymous with sugar cookies. Three hundred and fifty sugar cookies, decorated by friends in my kitchen, and donated here in Rhode Island to a shelter for homeless women, a residential program for pregnant and postpartum women with addiction issues, and six emergency shelters for women and children who are victims of domestic abuse.

Please share these cookies with someone you love, courtesy of Drop In & Decorate™ and The Perfect Pantry.

Ground black pepper, and a cookbook giveaway (Recipe: chocolate double ginger cupcakes)

On my list of 23 pantry items you absolutely, positively, have to have, black pepper sits at #3.

Now that I think about it, pepper should be #1. Tied with salt.

Because salt and pepper are an item.

Whoever first paired salt and pepper was a genius, like the person who cast Ginger Rogers with Fred Astaire, or Doris Day with Rock Hudson. Or the person who discovered that chocolate always tastes better with a tiny bit of vanilla.

Almonds (Recipe: amaretti cookies)

Adapted from an archived post, with new photos, links and recipe.

I'm a sucker for princess tales, especially when food is involved.

According to Greek mythology, the lovely princess Phyllis was dumped at the altar on her wedding day by Demophon, her fiance. She waited for years for him to return to her (why, we wonder?), but eventually she died of a broken heart. The gods took pity and transformed her into an almond tree.

When Demophon wised up and returned to find Phyllis turned into a flowerless tree, he embraced her, and the tree burst into bloom, proving that his love was greater than death -- or that he loved almonds.

Cloves (Recipe: Chocolate spice cookies)

Baked Desserts Week, Day Two. 

Ten things I know about cloves (you'll be glad to know them, too):

Walnuts (Recipe: walnut squares)

When I was growing up, my parents hosted lots of bridge parties. 

In the 1950s and '60s, card-playing evenings were all the rage. My parents invited one couple, or sometimes three couples, for bridge, cocktails and snacks. As these parties never started before 8:00, my brother and I were allowed -- no, commanded -- to appear in our pajamas to greet the guests ("Hi, Mr. and Mrs. So-and-So. Yes, it's fun to stay up late. Yes, I'm being good in school.") before we toddled off to bed.

On a tray table, within easy reach of the players, my mother set out bowls of Chex mix that she'd made herself. And whole walnuts, too, with a heavy nutcracker and a dish for the shells.

In the morning, my brother and I descended upon the leftover nuts. We didn't eat them; we looked for wrinkly faces in the wrinkly shells. Sometimes we'd find one that looked like my grandfather, or one of our teachers, or Richard Nixon.

Shagbark hickory nuts (Recipe: maple nut cookies)

Guest post and photos by Marcia in Rhode Island

Shiny chartreuse spheres, dropping in our woods, send the squirrels scrambling. 

Bucket in hand, I’ve joined the melee. We’re vying for the sweetest of all hickory nuts, the shagbark.

Baking soda (Recipe: lemon thyme cornmeal cookies)

Things I can remember:

Phone numbers. PIN numbers. Latin verb conjugations. One phrase in Yiddish. The names of donors to a fundraising campaign I worked on fifteen years ago. My favorite jambalaya recipe. The words to old Beatles songs from the 1960s. Almost every line from every Doris Day-Rock Hudson film.

Things I can't remember at the moment:

The name of my first-grade teacher. How to use a slide rule. Kim's cell phone number (thank heavens for address books). Directions to Mary's new house (thank heavens for Mapquest). The current location of my favorite grey linen summer dress.

One thing I can't remember, ever, is the difference between baking powder and baking soda. Which one is acid, and which is alkali? Which should I use for New York style crumb cakes, English muffins, chocolate banana cake, giant ginger cookies, and doughnut muffins?

When baking soda (pure bicarbonate of soda -- an alkali) is combined with an acid ingredient such as buttermilk, honey, yogurt or molasses, the chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide gas bubbles, which create air pockets in the dough or batter, causing it to rise. All of those air pockets make for a lighter and more tender final product.

Because it reacts instantly when moistened, baking soda always should be mixed with dry ingredients before adding any liquid, and the resulting batter or dough should go into the oven or pan or griddle right away.

If you're planning to use baking soda for baking, you want to keep it from absorbing odors in your refrigerator. After opening the box, decant into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, and store in your pantry or fridge. How can you tell if the baking soda still viable? Fill a small cup half full with vinegar and drop a teaspoon of baking soda in it. If it fizzes, it's good to go.

Baking soda isn't just for baking, however. Add a pinch to tomato sauce to balance the acidity. Add another pinch to the water when you soak dried beans; the beans will cook faster, and you'll toot a bit less when you eat them. And though I've never tried this, I've read that you can tenderize meat by rubbing baking soda directly on the meat, and then rinsing it off before cooking.

One more thing you can do with baking soda: use it to make your own baking powder.

How confusing is that?

LEMON THYME CORNMEAL COOKIES
I don't have a sweet tooth (except for chocolate, for which exemptions are always granted), so cookies that are more on the tart side really appeal to me. And what's better than a recipe that uses herbs from my garden? Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies, this recipe makes 24-30 cookies.

1-3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup dried currants
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 heaping Tbsp finely chopped lemon thyme

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Reduce speed to low; mix in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in currants, lemon zest and lemon thyme.

Drop rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with Silpats (silicon mats) or parchment paper, spacing the dough at least 2 inches apart. Bake until pale golden, 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the sheets for 2-3 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. Store in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3 days.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Raisin-banana scones
Irish soda bread
Granola cookies
Ice cream chocolate chip cookies
Spice cake
Southern buttermilk biscuits

Powdered ginger (Recipe: Kate's Ginger Shortcakes)

Ginger Week, Day Three.

Once upon a time, Ted and I had a cat named Henry, who was the color of powdered ginger and had a temperament to match.

He was fiery and full of personality, sometimes unexpected, with a bit of a bite.

And that's just how I'd describe powdered ginger.

Also called ground ginger, powdered ginger is made by drying the fresh ginger rhizome, and then grinding it into a fine powder. As the rhizomes can be quite fibrous, it's best to buy the spice already ground. Purchase from a reliable source and, if possible, taste before you buy; the best quality powdered ginger should be pungent (not bitter) and lemony.

Used primarily -- though not exclusively -- for baking, powdered ginger's flavor is very different from fresh ginger. Many sources suggest that 1/8 teaspoon of dried ginger can substitute for 1 tablespoon of fresh or crystallized ginger, but please don't do it. Trust me; these are two different animals, fresh and powdered, and the taste isn't remotely the same.

In the 19th Century, British bartenders kept shakers of powdered ginger on the bar, so patrons could add a bit to their drinks. I don't know why or when the practice ended, but I say bring back the ginger shaker.

Keep one on the bar, to make your own ginger ale, and another on the kitchen counter, in case you get the urge to bake ginger-pear-saffron cake, molasses-ginger spice snaps, Guinness ginger cake, Chinese five-spice chocolate cupcakes, pumpkin spice scones, apricot and pistachio cake, or old-fashioned gingerbread.

KATE'S GINGER SHORTCAKES
Pastry chef extraordinaire Kate Jennings, co-owner of Farmstead and La Laiterie in Providence, Rhode Island, created and gave her permission for me to share this recipe, which makes 6 large biscuits, perfect for afternoon tea. The double ginger, powdered and crystallized, gives these a more pronounced ginger flavor than the biscotti in my previous post.

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 Tbsp powdered ginger
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold, cubed butter
3 Tbsp chopped crystallized ginger
1 cup buttermilk

Procedure: Mix dry ingredients by hand. Add cold, cubed butter and crystallized ginger, and cut in until combined. Add buttermilk and knead until the dough comes together. Make 6 large biscuits. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, until golden.

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Spicy peanut noodles
Kicked-up gingerbread
Not-just-for-Thanksgiving pumpkin pie
Ginger-apricot biscotti

Happy Blogsday! We are two. And we have brownies.

On June 14, Elvis Presley graduated from high school (1953), Turkey appointed its first female head of state (1993), and the first Henley Regatta was held (1839).

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of an American national flag, and in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 Flag Day.

On June 14, 1846, California declared independence from Mexico.

On June 14, Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811), Margaret Bourke-White (1906), Pierre Salinger (1925) and Burl Ives (1909) would have celebrated their birthdays. Boy George (1961) and Donald Trump (1946) were born on June 14, too. Can you imagine all of them together at a birthday party?

On June 14, 2008, The Perfect Pantry turned two!

And in so many ways, my second blog year was perfect.

Two guest bloggers joined The Perfect Pantry: Arlo, who writes from the very urban, multi-cultural Ottawa, Canada; and Peter, who writes from the mountain region of Minas Gerais, in the interior of Brazil. Their voices, their stories, and their own perfect pantries have been a joy to share. Thank you for welcoming both Arlo and Peter.

Also, I became a mother of two -- two blogs, that is. Through the Adopt-a-Blogger program, I adopted Rebecca, whose From Argentina with Love has just been named best new blog of the year by FN Dish. And then I adopted Sandie, whose even newer blog, Inn Cuisine, took shape before my eyes. Both blogs feature travelers' tales and wonderful recipes. If you've been blogging for a while and would like to share what you've learned, there are many bloggers looking for mentors; it's fun, easy, and rewarding to adopt a blogger.

A two-year blogiversary celebration calls for something sweet. Something made with chocolate, just like last year. Something made from items I have on hand.

Something ooey and gooey, made for you, because you are the most important ingredient in The Perfect Pantry.

It's been a perfectly wonderful blog year, because you've been here to share it.

Thank you, times two.

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE-CHIP BROWNIES
From Martha Stewart's Quick Cook, this recipe makes 16 two-inch brownies. To freeze, wrap the brownies in plastic wrap, and thaw them in the wrapping.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter + *1 tsp
2 1-oz squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch-square glass pan (use the *1 tsp butter for this), or spray it with baking spray.

Melt the stick of butter and unsweetened chocolate in the top of a double boiler (or in a microwave); remove from heat and stir well. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter-chocolate with the sugar, flour nuts, baking powder and vanilla. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overcook. The brownies should be moist and chewy. Cool thoroughly before cutting into 2-inch squares.

Also in The Perfect Pantry:
Outrageous brownies
White chocolate brownies
Chocolate truffles
Chocolate-banana ravioli
Chocolate refrigerator cake