December 07, 2010

Not so basic ingredients

This is not another article berating you for not having (and baking with) 50-pound sacks of flour, or not keeping three different kinds of European butter on hand. This is what, other than the basic flour, sugar and baking powder, is always in my pantry:

Hazelnuts: As a child I hated nuts in my cookies and chocolate; to this day, the world walnut puts me off anything. It might have been the Nutella, but hazelnuts were the first nut that wasn't bitter and distracting. Although common in Germany, they aren't as popular in America, possibly because they go rancid quicker than other nuts. This means they aren't always in my pantry, but always at Christmas.

Fresh lemon and orange peel: The lemon and orange extracts are backup for when there are no fresh lemons or oranges in the house. Fresh zest has a brighter, more pervasive flavor. The rest of the fruit gets juiced.

Cardamom: Both "bright" (a little citrusy) and warm, cardamom can go into anything, from Stollen through Glüwein. The ground lives in the freezer to preserve its freshness, and the whole is in the cabinet.

Cake flour: All-purpose flour is good for most purposes, but cake flour gives a lighter texture to cakes. I substitute by weight, roughly 10 percent more by volume.

Instant tapioca: Adding a tablespoon or two of instant tapioca (or tapioca pearls whirled in a blender) mixed in with the sugar easily thickens fruit pies. The trick comes from the box via Cooks Illustrated; the box recommends using more tapioca than you'll need.

Gold and silver dragees: No one has ever turned blue from eating silver dragees, and dragees are the most elegant of the cookie decorations. Everything looks better, more professional, with a light sprinkling of dragees.

Dried fruits and candied ginger: Not just for Stollen at Christmas, but also for scones throughout the year, ginger squares, oatmeal and oatmeal cookies.