Raisins and Almonds

Curds and whey: making cheese in Minneapolis

On April 28, we joined forces with Laura (her food blog is "A Little Zaftig") for a cooperative cheese making session. Following the recipe from Barbara Kingsolver’s
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle we were able to perform the amazing transformation of milk into mozzarella cheese. The ingredients were simply whole milk (pure, organic golden-rich Cedar Summit milk from grassfed cows), citric acid and rennet. Because the food thermometer was originally set to centigrade, we accidentally overheated the milk past 55 degrees F, the temperature for adding the citric acid. It actually took longer to cool the milk back down than to finish making the cheese once we restarted at 55F. At 88 F we added the rennet, and then strained out the curds when they formed.

Lifting out the curd

The last step was kneading the cheese into resilient shiny balls.




Balls of mozzarella

Home made pizza with our mozzarella

 

There was nearly a full gallon of whey at the end. Laura took half home to feed to her chickens. Joan slow-cooked whole grain millet in the whey, and raves about the delicious result.


This is how Joan made the creamy millet polenta
“I took my whey (the quart) and mixed it with a generous cup of mIllet and cooked it in the crock pot all day. It is amazing, like a polenta, but lighter, I mixed in butter and cheese and salt and oh my, it’s wonderful. “

We also tried to make cream cheese, but additives in our cream prevented the formation of any curds. There was no recovery this time, we gave up on cheese and made two quarts of orange marmalade-ginger ice cream instead. Of course we would not have had this problem if we had been using additive-free cream from Cedar Summit! Here is a link to Cedar Summit farm

 

http://www.cedarsummit.com/

A little zaftig 

Barbara Kingsolver's recipe for 30-minute mozzarella

Brown Bread Ice Cream for a Belated St. Patrick’s Day

[Posted by Joan]
Ever since I have been traveling to Ireland each summer, St. Patrick’s day has new meaning for me. Although I am not really Irish, I think I must have SOME trace of Irish blood or else, I was Irish in a past life. When I am in Ireland I love having slices of dark, dense, brown bread each day, slathered with butter, and sometimes topped with smoked salmon. When I come home from Ireland I try various recipes to reproduce that unique bread, There are many, many recipes for Irish brown bread, some made with yeast and some with baking soda. They usually contain whole wheat flour, oatmeal, buttermilk, and sometimes an egg or a little sugar.
    Last summer I spent a week living in an apartment in Cork City with my friend and travel companion, Eileen. I enjoyed going to the big English market to sample and buy breads, cheeses, vegetable, herbs and other local treats. There was an ice cream vendor there where I tried a scoop of Brown Bread ice cream. I was curious to see how my beloved Irish Brown Bread could be used in ice cream. It was delicious! The dark brown crumbs were crispy and sweet, mixed into a creamy ice cream base.
    This year I decided to make my own brown bread ice cream for St. Patrick’s day, celebrated a week after the actual holiday. I looked for recipes and found one that sounded pretty easy in the cookbook, “The Irish Spirit” written by Margaret Johnson. It did not require cooking of the cream or addition of egg yolks. I used David Leibowitz’s method of making the crispy sweet bread crumbs to mix in the cream base, and inspired by his more complicated recipe, also added some mascarpone to the cream and half-and-half mixture. I also stirred in some Irish Mist liqueur after the ice cream had been churned.


I did not use all the crumbs I prepared, so I used some of the leftovers as topping. My grandson Davis liked the ice cream as is, sampling a few spoonfuls, but also enjoyed sprinkling the crumbs on top, and eating them directly off the table. My husband Michael poured chocolate syrup on his dish of ice cream, and found that combination to his liking. Tonight I finished the last scoop of ice cream, topping it with both the crumbs and the chocolate. Now that is a delicious dessert! Happy St. Patrick’s day!

Recipe

The day before making the ice cream, bake a loaf of Irish brown bread. There are many recipes on the internet, such as this one: http://food52.com/recipes/8417_irish_brown_soda_bread
Next day, make the crumbs. This was adapted from the way David Leibowitz does it at http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/11/brown-bread-ice-cream-recipe/ ‘
For the caramelized brown bread crumbs:
3 good sized slices of brown bread 3 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup sugar (I used a mix of dark brown and raw cane sugar) 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1. To make the brown bread crumbs, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
2. Crumble the bread into small, bite-sized bits. The largest should be no bigger than a kernel of corn.
3. In a skillet, heat the butter until it melts, then continue to cook until it starts to brown. Remove from heat and stir in the bread bits, 1/2 cup (100g) sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
4. Spread on the baking sheet and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring a few times during baking, until the bread bits are well-toasted; a deep, dark brown.
5. Cool completely then store in an air-tight container until ready to use. (They can be made a few days in advance and stored at room temperature.)


To make the ice cream:
Combine in a stand mixer and beat until stiff:
    1-1/2 cup whipping cream
    2/3 cup half and half
Beat in 2 heaping tablespoons mascarpone
Gently mix in ½ cup sifted confectioners’ sugar,
    1 tsp vanilla,
    3 tablespoons Irish Cream liqueur, such as Bailey’s,
    And 2 cups of the prepared bread crumbs.
Pour into an electric ice cream maker and follow the directions until ice cream has become firm.Remove the ice cream from the mixer, stir in 1 Tablespoon Irish mist liqueur, and store in the freezer. 

Variation on Joan’s granola-chocolate chip cookies

[posted by Ann]

I loved Joan’s granola cookies so much that I quickly made them again, using a granola that already had coconut in it, so I skipped the additional coconut, as well as the wheat germ, peanuts, and almonds. I used the nuts I had on hand, which were walnuts and pepitas.  For the fruit I used a mixture of raisins and dried cranberries (I plumped the raisins in apple cider, and the cranberries in Luxardo maraschino liqueur.) Having only white chocolate chips, I used them instead of dark chocolate, and for the flour I used part whole-wheat pastry flour and part white flour.  I made a half recipe, still using one egg, but only a half-cup of flour, and ½ cup of butter. I donated most to a bake sale and they sold out.

 I baked another batch this week, this time using only dried cranberries for the fruit, bittersweet dark chocolate chips, and a homemade, unsweetened granola made from rolled oats, spelt flakes, sesame seeds, candied grapefruit peel, pepitas, and flax seeds. In the hope of reducing sugar and fat, I substituted coconut nectar and agave syrup for part of the sugar, and coconut oil for part of the butter. This version was also very good, and the cookies were a little softer and chewier, perhaps from the syrups and the coconut oil.  I added one tablespoon of Teff flour to the mixture of white and whole-wheat pastry flour.  Not having a bake sale to take them off my hands, I have eaten way too many and I intend not to make them again for quite a while.  However, I hope to try them eventually with other dried fruit (cherries?), grains (kamut or quinoa flakes?), nuts (macademia?), seeds (sunflower?) and whole grain flours. The possibilities for complex flavors and texture contrasts are unlimited. The recipe is easily adaptable to the immediate contents of one’s pantry.

 

Ingredients

1-1/2 Cups Granola (Without Fruit)
½ cup moist, plump dried fruit—cranberries, cherries, raisins

1/2 Cup nuts
1/3 cup seeds, (sesame, pepitas, sunflower)

½ cup chocolate chips
½  stick (1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup coconut oil (at room temperature or slightly warmed)

½  cup turbinado or  raw sugar
2 tablespoons natural liquid sweetener (agave, coconut syrup, maple syrup)
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
½ cup flour (I used a mix of all purpose white, whole wheat pastry flour, and teff flour)   
1 teaspoon vanilla

additional rolled oats and/or spelt flakes if batter doesn’t seem thick enough

Method

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Put the granola in a large bowl and break up any clumps with your fingers. Add the dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, and mix together.

Beat the butter and coconut oil at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and liquid sweetener(s) and beat for another 3 minutes, or until creamy. Add the egg, vanilla, and salt and beat until well blended. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing only until it is incorporated. Add the granola-fruit-nut mixture by hand and mix gently but thoroughly.

Scoop out rounded tablespoons of dough and arrange the mounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1-1/2 inches between them. Flatten the mounds lightly using a spoon or your fingertips.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets at the midway point. The cookies should be golden brown but not firm. Allow them to rest on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring them to racks to cool to room temperature.

 

 

 

Granola Cookies

[Posted by Joan]

For the last few weeks I have been thinking about making granola cookies, ever since I saw Dorrie Greenspan rave about her recipe for “Granola Grabbers” on her iPad app. Not wanting to pay $2.99 to purchase the recipe. I did some searching online to find something similar.
I found a recipe for Granola Grabbers that seemed to be close to hers, and planned to make it.
I love all the ingredients called for: granola, shredded coconut, peanuts, almond and raisins. But I knew if I made the cookies, I would eat much of the batter and many of the cookies, and I don’t really need all that sugar and carbs at the moment. I put the recipe away in my “to cook” file. I knew I was going to Cleveland to visit my 89-year-old mother, as well as m sister and brother. Maybe that was the excuse I need to try this recipe!
So the morning of my trip, I dug out the recipe, walked to the nearby store to buy granola, came home and got to work. The recipe called for a lot of butter, more that I actually had on hand, so I used 2 Tbsp of an organic vegetable shortening instead of2 Tbsp of butter. I also added 1 cup of milk chocolate chips that I had on hand. I substituted dark brown sugar for the light brown and white sugar called for in the recipe.
I mixed the batter as directed, and it was delicious! For every scoop that made it to the baking sheet, a spoonful went into my mouth. I am afraid I baked the cookies too long, as they were quite crisp, rather than chewy. But my friend Eileen tried one and said it was the best cookie she ever had. I gave one to my sister Ann on arrival and she loved it. My poor mother who can hardly eat much managed to eat half of a cookie and asked us to save the rest, a miraculous amount of communication from her.
Here is the recipe that I found online, bur I recommend using all dark brown sugar and adding some chocolate chips. Dorrie suggested making the recipe exactly as is the first time, before trying different ingredients. I must say that the combination of raisins, nuts and coconut along with chocolate is pretty hard to top!
Granola Grabbers from http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2009/05/granola-grabbers.html

Ingredients

3 Cups Granola Without Fruit
3/4 Moist, Plump Raisins (dark or golden)
1/2 Cup Salted Peanuts
1/2 Cup Slivered Almonds
1/2 Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut
1/3 Cup Wheat Germ
1 3/4 Stick (14 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
3/4 Cup (packed) Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Large Egg
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

Method

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Put the granola in a large bowl and break up any clumps with your fingers. Add the raisins, peanuts, almonds, coconut and wheat germ and mix together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar(s )and beat for another 3 minutes, or until creamy. Add the egg and salt and beat until well blended. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing only until it is incorporated, then steadily add the granola and fruit. Stop the mixer when most of the granola mix is blended into the batter and finish the job with a sturdy rubber spatula, making sure to get up any bits of dry ingredients left in the bottom of the bowl.

Scoop out rounded Tbsp of dough, pack the scoops between your palms and arrange the mounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1-1/2 inches between them. Flatten the mounds lightly with your fingertips.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cookies should be golden brown but not firm. Allow them to rest on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes before transferring them to racks to cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

For another adaptation of this recipe see http://www.cookiemadness.net/2009/05/3338/

Improvising a no-knead rye bread

[posted by Ann]

Our neighborhood artisan bakery doesn’t offer a rye bread, so rye is the bread that I always make at home. I adapted Jim Lahey’s no-knead recipe, a cousin to my whole-wheat formula, using rye for one fourth of the total flour amount.

For the liquid I like to use leftover coffee or tea, and the prize-winning, pourable Traders Point plain yogurt, made from the milk of grass fed cows. Today with no coffee or tea on hand, I actually brewed a cup of Irish breakfast tea just for the rye bread. When it seemed that more liquid was needed, a little orange juice did the trick. I measure the flour on a scale now, so the flour measurements are given in grams.

Dry ingredients:
150 grams bread flour
150 grams white whole-wheat flour
100 grams whole rye flour
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp dry yeast
Optional: 25 gram (ca ¼ cup) of another whole grain flour: spelt, buckwheat, kamut, amaranth…

Wet ingredients:
½-¾ cup plain yogurt
1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups warm but not hot liquid (can be some combination of water, tea, coffee, apple cider, orange juice, )
2 tablespoons natural sweetener (maple syrup, agave, molasses)


Phase 1: Mixing the dough and first rise
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the sweetener to the warm liquid and stir to dissolve. Add the yogurt to the flour mixture and stir.
Add the warm liquid to the flour mixture gradually, stirring to incorporate the flour. The dough should be quite wet.
Cover and let sit in a warm place for 10-16 hours, dough will have doubled in volume.

Phase 2: Prep for second rise
Generously dust a wooden board with the bread flour or whole wheat flour, then
scrape the dough out onto the floured board. With floured hands fold the dough into a loose ball.
Place a clean dishtowel on board or work surface, and generously dust with rye flour. Put the dough on the floured towel, seam die down and fold the towel ends to cover the dough. Let the dough rest in a warm, draft free spot for 1-2 hours.

Phase 3: Baking
Preheat oven to 475 degrees with rack in lower third of oven.
Place covered 4-5 quart heavy pot in center of rack and heat for 30 minutes.
CAREFULLY remove pan (wearing oven proof mitts) from oven, take off lid.
Lift towel and quickly but gently invert dough into hot pot.
Cover pot and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove cover and bake about 15 minutes more, checking to see that it doesn’t burn. Carefully remove from oven using heatproof mitts and remove bread from pot to cool on board or rack.

The yogurt and rye flour that I bake with:

Roasted applesauce with a kiss of lemon

[Posted by Ann]
Ohio and Minnesota are both great states for apples. Joan and I made this recipe (featured on Food52 from Judy Rogers of the Zuni Café) using Winesap, Haralson, and Regent apples from the Minneapolis Fulton Farmers market. Then I made it again in Ohio using Macoun, Braeburns, and Suncrisps.

The original recipe roasts the apples with only a little salt, sugar, and butter in the pan, with an optional splash of cider vinegar after the roasting. I took a different path, and drizzled the roasted apples with honey, a fruity balsamic vinegar, and meyer lemon-infused olive oil, and then stirred in a little crystallized ginger. The roasting and the lemon flavors impart depth of flavor.


Part 1: preparing and roasting the apples

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

Ingredients
2-3 pounds local apples (a mix of soft, crisp, tart, and sweet is best)
2 teaspoons sugar (preferably turbinado or brown sugar)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon butter cut in pieces

Cut the apples in quarters, core and peel. Place them in a bowl, add the salt and sugar and stir to distribute evenly. Spread out the apples in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet. Cut the butter into thin slices, and sprinkle the butter pieces over the apples. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake about 30-40 minutes, until apples start to soften. If using a ceramic pan, it will take a little longer. (After half an hour in a stoneware baker I raised the temperature to 425 and roasted for an additional 10 minutes) When the apples have started to soften, remove the foil and increase the temperature to 500. Set the timer for ten minutes, which is how long it will take for the edges of the apples to just brown.

Part 2: After the roasting

Ingredients: honey, lemon-infused oil or grated zest of one lemon, balsamic vinegar, crystallized ginger



Transfer roasted apples to a bowl. Spoon on 2-3 tablespoons of a raw, flavorful honey and stir gently to melt and incorporate the honey, and to break up big chunks of apples. The texture should be chunky. Drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons lemon or meyer-lemon infused olive oil, or alternatively, grated lemon zest.
Add 1-2 teaspoons fine balsamic vinegar, preferably a fruity one and 1-2
tablespoons of crystallized ginger. Stir to incorporate the flavorings.

This applesauce pairs beautifully with yogurt and nuts or granola. Joan enhanced her applesauce-yogurt-granola combination with a shot of fresh ginger syrup.

    Judy Rogers' recipe  and  Ginger syrup recipe from A Tribute to Woody

More Pumpkin Passion: A spicy soup with chipotle cream

[posted by Joan]

I have made many pumpkin soups but this one was a little different.
I liked the added jalapeño and the flavor of cumin. I loved the swirl of chipotle cream added at the end. I’ll be taking this to lunch all week and may stir in some chopped greens (spinach, kale or chard) just to see how that works with the soup.

Pumpkin Soup with Chipotle Cream

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy dutch oven or large saucepan.
Stir in 2 carrots chopped,
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped.
1 jalapeño, seeds removed, chopped


Cook gently, stirring from time to time, until vegetables soften.

Mix in 3 cups pumpkin puree (I roasted a pumpkin and mashed the flesh)

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup apple cider
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
freshly ground pepper

Simmer for about 20 minutes until vegetables are soft and ready to puree.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot.
Top with a dollop of chipotle cream (recipe below) and some fresh, chopped chives and parsley.

To make the chipotle cream, mix 1 cup sour cream with 1 tsp chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Mix in a smidgeon more of the sauce, and 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro.

Joan’s Passion for Pumpkin

It feels like a pumpkin day today. To me, fall means pumpkin time. I love the big, orange pumpkins that decorate people’s porches, front steps, and line the grocery store displays.

Even after Halloween has passed, the pumpkins seem to wink at me, inviting me to buy one, scoop out and cook its seeds for a salty snack, and bake the insides to puree for pies, breads, or muffins.

I have made pumpkin pies starting in high school, followed by pumpkin breads, pumpkin cookies, muffins, soup, scones, pancakes, cheesecake, and bread pudding.  I have enjoyed pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin crepes and pumpkin cream cheese on a pumpkin bagel. I have even had pumpkin spice tea and pumpkin lattes.  I made pumpkin infused vodka and used it to make pumpkin martinis. I have tried pumpkin beer and most recently, a Minnesota pumpkin honey wine. All year round I nibble handfuls of pumpkin seeds or pepitas. I cannot imagine a pumpkin product that I would not thoroughly enjoy.

Last week I bought a little sugar pumpkin at my local farmers’ market and roasted it whole in the oven until the skin darkened and the flesh collapsed inside. After it cooled, I pureed the luscious orange pumpkin flesh, and wondered what to do with it first.  I decided on a spicy pumpkin soup, a pumpkin smoothie, and a  pumpkin latte.

 

For the smoothie, I poured in a blender ½ cup of the pumpkin puree, ½ cup good fresh apple cider, 1 Tbsp cinnamon syrup, and ½ cup Greek yogurt.  I added in a little homemade applesauce I happened to have on hand. I threw in a few ice cubes and produced a delicious pumpkin smoothie.           

 

Here is the Pumpkin Pie Latte recipe

 

• 1 tbsp canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon syrup
• ½ cup milk
• 1/2 cup good coffee

In a saucepan, heat milk, cinnamon syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin until steaming.  (Or heat in a microwave.) Stir in vanilla. Pour into a wide mug and use an immersion blender to mix and froth. Pour in coffee and top with a dusting of ground cinnamon.

 

 
 Last year on Food52 I entered three original pumpkin recipes:

pumpkin baked oatmeal

http://www.food52.com/recipes/8155_pumpkin_baked_oatmeal_with_brandied_cranberries_and_white_chocolate

Crunchy ginger pumpkin parfait

http://www.food52.com/recipes/7714_crunchy_ginger_pumpkin_parfaits_with_cider_bourbon_sauce_and_maple_crme_fraiche

Pumpkin ginger s'more cookies

http://www.food52.com/recipes/7658_dark_chocolate_covered_pumpkin_ginger_smore_cookies 

 All are pretty fussy but very tasty.  Stay tuned--next post will be the spicy Pumpkin soup.

 

 

My summer cucumber sandwich

[posted by Ann]

Here is the formula for a splendid yet easy open-faced sandwich, pairing crunchy fresh cucumber with home-made or artisan bread. I make these frequently, for breakfast, lunch, or for a snack at any time.

Ingredients: Fresh cucumber, crusty whole-grain bread, butter, creme fraiche, smoked sea-salt


For each sandwich spread a slice of delicious artisan or home-baked bread with good butter. Top with a few cucumber slices, then a dollop of creme fraiche, and a few grains of coarse sea salt. It tastes like summer! (The creme fraiche can also be spread directly on top of the butter as seen in these photos.)

The Plums of August

[posted by Ann]

    August plums—dark, dark, blackish-purple-- signal the waning days of summer, and they are absolutely necessary in the kitchen of a seasonal Ohio cook.
    A very simple and versatile recipe for these beauties is to cook them down into a sweet and tangy fruit sauce flavored with wine or spirits, sweetened with honey, and sparked with fresh cardamom or dried lavender. The inspiration for this recipe came from a soft plum jam or conserva, in Lynn Rosetto Casper’s Italian Country Kitchen.
    The sauce keeps well in the refrigerator, and it combines beautifully with plain yogurt, ricotta cheese, or ice cream. It welcomes other fresh fruits, especially sliced peaches and nectarines.

 

I use a kitchen shears to prepare the plums, it is so easy to snip the plums in half, and cut out around the pit. Be sure to cut them over the pot, to capture all of the delicious juice.

August plum sauce

1 box of purple plums
1 cup red wine or fortified wine such as Madeira or Port
½ cup fragrant honey
½ cup turbinado or raw sugar
1 tablespoon fine balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
seeds from 3-5 cardamom pods, crushed
1 tablespoon Amaretto
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
optional: ½ teaspoon dried culinary lavendar

1. Mix honey, sugar, and wine in saucepan until liquid bubbles and everything is completed dissolved.
2. Cut plums in half over the pot (to catch all the juice ) adding the plums to the pot while removing the pits. It’s easy to do this with a cooking shears, snipping out around the pit.
3. Add cinnamon, cardamom, optional lavender and vanilla sugar, cook over medium heat until plums have softened and broken down. Add balsamic vinegar.
4. Cool for 5 minutes, stir in Amaretto and vanilla, refrigerate.
 

 

Tipsy plumtini 

For one drink: mix 2-3 tablespoons of liquid from the plum sauce
Add 1 tablespoon of Luxardo (Italian maraschino liqueur) and 1-2 tablespoons half and half.