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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2020)
MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020 THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B HOME & LIVING TRUFFLES Chill: 30 to 60 minutes Makes: 45 truffles Continued from Page 1B New takes on cake By Chris Ross The San Diego Union-Tribune Benjamina Ebuehi grew up in a Nigerian family in London, and her interest in cooking began when her mother bought her a child’s baking book. As she continued to learn and work her way through other cookbooks, she says it was always the chapters on cakes that interested her the most. She began to create her own cake recipes, gravitating toward “put- ting flavors at the forefront without overshad- owing them with excessive decoration.” Her passion for baking led to an appear- ance on “The Great British Bake Off” in 2016, where she created a white chocolate and salted praline cake for the show’s Cake Week. Now she has a cookbook, “The New Way to Cake,” which features her stripped-down, flavor-forward recipes. Ebuehi’s vegan version of banana bread includes peanut butter for what she calls a “sweet-and-salty contrast.” She says her favorite way to eat this is “lightly toasted to crisp up the edges, with a generous spread of salted butter.” PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BREAD I believe that a good banana bread should be part of every baker’s repertoire. This version happens to be vegan, which was by no means intentional. I do think this tastes better the next day (if it can last that long), as it gives the flavors time to mingle with each other. Makes 6-8 servings FOOTBALL Continued from Page 1B Not on these two days, though. It was the season after Ari- zona’s near-miss in the Super Bowl when quarterback Kurt Warner led the Cardinals into a home playoff matchup with the Packers on Jan. 10, 2010. Warner told me later that he knew it would be his last game in Arizona, and he acknowledged it may have been his best. Warner had more touch- down passes (five) than incompletions (four). He fin- ished 29-of-33 for 379 yards and, of course, no intercep- tions. Aaron Rodgers, in his first playoff game, matched Warner nearly pass-for-pass after throwing an intercep- tion on his first attempt. Rodgers completed 28 of 42 passes for 423 yards and four touchdowns. Arizona shot out to a 17-0 lead, was up 24-10 at the half and 38-24 after three quar- ters. But Rodgers brought the Packers back with three fourth-quarter touchdowns to tie it at 45-45 and force the overtime. And, in a game with so much offense, of course the defense scored the game- winner. Michael Adams, all 5-foot-8 of him, stripped the ball from Rodgers. It bounced off the quarterback’s foot and Karlos 4 small ripe bananas, divided 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter ½ cup vegetable oil 5 tablespoons almond or soy milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/3 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour ¾ cup (175 grams) light brown sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon cinnamon Pinch of salt Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-pound loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. In a large bowl, use a fork to mash 3 ba- nanas. Mix in the peanut butter, oil, milk and vanilla and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cin- namon and salt. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Slice the remaining banana in half length- wise. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and gently place the sliced banana on top without overlapping the slices or pushing them into the batter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until well risen and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Leave to cool completely before slicing. Tip: For some added texture, use a crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth or fold in chopped, roasted peanuts before baking. Shouldst thou go with the melon baller (what we with the fancy French culinary edumacation like to call a “Parisian scoop”), first use your spatula to scrape the ganache into a cake pan or casserole, something in which it can cool quickly. Place it in the fridge for an hour or two to firm up, then use your melon baller to scoop out individ- ual portions and set them on a parchment- covered baking sheet. You could also use a plain old spoon, seeing as how a later stage involves hand-rolling each truffle anyway. Or you could scrape the ganache into a piping bag and pipe out little brown blobs onto a parchment-covered baking sheet. When you’re done, pop the pan into the fridge until your blobs are firm and ready to roll. Oh, and in case you’re wondering how big to make your truffles, well, most truffles are in the half-ounce to 1-ounce range. I suggest piping (or scooping) out a couple blobs of different sizes, then using which- ever one you prefer as your guide. Whether your ganache is piped or scooped, now comes the rolling. Working quickly, place a blob between your palms and roll it into a spheroid shape. And listen: Be ye not concerned with perfection. Imperfection is a hallmark of artisanship, and proclaims with stentorian confidence, “I made these truffles with my own two hands!” By the way, the reason I said to work quickly is because as the unrolled truffles sit out, they warm up. Also, you don’t want the truffles to stay in your hands any longer than necessary because they’ll start to melt. But, look, don’t kid yourself: Chocolate is messy, and by the time you’re done your hands will remind you of those halcyon days spent mud wrestling out back of the tavern. Still, the faster you roll, the cleaner you’ll stay. You could always pop the ganache back in the fridge to chill if things get too warm. Once all your truffles look like tiny brown moons, roll them in something dry, like powdered sugar, cocoa powder, coconut flakes, crushed nuts, etc. You could also dip them in melted chocolate, but, that will be a longer lesson for another day. Store them in the fridge for up to a week, or, before you do that, you could just see how many you can cram into your piehole all at once. Either way, you will revel in your humanity. CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES Prep: 30 minutes 1 pound block good bittersweet or semi- sweet chocolate, 60% or higher cacao 8 ounces heavy cream 1 ounce softened butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Dutch-processed cocoa powder, crushed nuts, powdered sugar, sprinkles or other coating ingredients 1. Using a serrated knife, shave choco- late into thin slices, then mince the pile of shavings to make very small pieces. Scrape chocolate into a clean, dry, stainless steel bowl. 2. Heat cream to simmering, then pour over chocolate. Stir in a tight circle from center of bowl, gradually working in cream from edges to form an emulsion. This is your ganache. (Note: If your chocolate doesn’t melt all the way, place the bowl over a bain marie — a saucepan in which a couple inches of water is simmering. Keep the flame turned low and take care not to get any water in the ganache while you continue stirring until the chocolate is completely melted.) 3. When the cream is fully incorporated and the chocolate ganache is smooth and creamy, stir in butter and vanilla until incor- porated. 4. To form truffles, there are two common methods, which we’ll call Method A and Method B: Method A: Pipe small ganache pyramids onto a parchment-covered baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes, then roll each piece between your palms to form a sphere. Method B: Refrigerate all the ganache in the mixing bowl or in a flatter container (for faster chilling), until firm, 30 to 60 minutes. Using a melon baller, carve out spheres of chocolate and place them on a parchment- lined baking sheet. Do not obsess over the perfection or lack thereof of your ganache balls. When the baking sheet is full, roll each ball between your palms to achieve a more spherical shape. 5. Place cocoa powder, nuts, powdered sugar or some other coating ingredient into a bowl. Roll each truffle in coating, then return to baking sheet. Refrigerate up to two weeks, as if they’ll last longer than a couple days. Nutrition information per truffle: 73 calories, 7 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 5 g carbohydrates, 3 g sugar, 1 g protein, 1 mg sodium, 1 g fiber UPGRADE 215 Elm Street La Grande • (541) 963-5440 northwestfurnitureandmattress.com — Reprinted with permission from “The New Way to Cake” by Benjamina Ebuehi, Page Street Publishing Co. Dansby scooped the ball up, returning it 17 yards for the deciding touchdown. Arizona won 51-45, the highest-scoring playoff game in NFL history. “That’s probably one of the best games ever played in the playoffs,’’ then-Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. Fast forward six years to Jan. 16, 2016, and the Pack- ers were in Arizona again, this time facing the Cardinals in a divisional playoff game. The Cardinals were the No. 2 seed in the NFC after compiling a 13-3 record with Carson Palmer at the controls of coach Bruce Arians’ big- play “no risk it, no biscuit’’ offense. Arizona took the lead 20-13 with 3:44 left in regulation on an odd play when a pass intended for Larry Fitzgerald was deflected by Green Bay’s Damarious Randall but right into the hands of Michael Floyd for a touchdown. But the Packers came back when Rodgers threw a pair of his trademark “Hail Mary” passes to move the team 96 yards in two plays. On fourth- and-20 from his 4-yard line and 55 seconds left in regula- tion, the Green Bay quarter- back scrambled and heaved a long one and Jeff Janis pulled it down at the Cardinals 36. A penalty pushed the ball back to the Arizona 41. On the final play of the fourth quarter, Rodgers let another one fly and Janis, pressed into extra duty due to injuries to other Packers receivers, outjumped Arizona defenders and hauled it in to tie it at 20-20. After the referee ruled that the coin failed to flip on his first toss, he tossed it again. Arizona won it, taking the ball to start the overtime. Green Bay never touched the ball again. Palmer, in his only NFL playoff victory, stepped away from the pass rush and faded to his right. But he saw Larry Fitzgerald all alone on the other side of the field. Fitzgerald, a sure first- ballot Hall of Famer when he finally decides to call it quits, caught the pass and ran fiercely downfield, stiff- arming would-be tacklers as he rambled 75 yards to the Packers’ 5-yard line. On the next play, Palmer threw a shovel pass over the middle to Fitzgerald for the score and Arizona won 26-20. “As the elder statesman on this team I just try to elevate my game and make plays for my teammates,’’ said Fitzger- ald, who caught eight passes for 176 yards. The Cardinals went on to be routed at Carolina in the NFC championship game. Arizona has not been in the playoffs since, going 3-13 in 2018 and 5-10-1 this year. The Packers won the NFC North this year and have a first-round playoff bye. How you pay for Are you will earning enough for on your savings? retirement? Let's talk. talk. Gary F Anger, AAMS® Financial Advisor 1910 Adams Ave P O Box 880 La Grande, OR 97850 541-963-0519 Home & Auto go together. Like you & a good neighbor. 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