Raisins and Almonds

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.

Rhubarb and Zucchini bread adventures

[posted by Joan]

 

This summer I have been enjoying cooking and baking with rhubarb.  I have gotten armfuls from neighbors as well as at the farmers’ market. I made a rhubarb cordial (with sugar and vodka). Rhubarb crisp, rhubarb bars, and rhubarb bread.

Recently I tried a different version of rhubarb bread, using olvie oil and yogurt. I had tried a few other olive oil and yogurt recipes (one with maple syrup, one with oranges) and loved the moist and tender result. So I adapted a more standard rhubarb bread made with borwn sugar, substituting thick Greek-style yogurt for the milk and lemon juice mixture, and olive oil for the plain oil used in the recipe. I also added chopped crystallized ginger to the bread. I added ground ginger to the crumbly topping as well. I made this recipe twice, and each time people loved it and gobbled it up. A winner! 

Today I bought some tender young zucchini at my local farmers’ market, and wondered if I could make the same recipe with grated zucchini instead of the chopped rhubarb.

I set to work.  I chopped the zuchinin in the food processor. I chopped the ginger.

Then I realized that I had no brown sugar, a key ingredient. So time to improvise. I  used a mix of raw sugar, organic cane sugar and maple syrup. I added ginger and cinnamon to the batter  along with the crystallized ginger. I only had a six ounce ontainer of Greek yogurt so I added two TBSP of half and half.  And I also added some maple syrup to the topping with a little cane sugar. I decided to experiment with two versions of the zucchini bread. Since the recipe makes two loaves, I divided it in half. I added 1/3 cup  chocolate chips to one loaf, and then sprinkled some more chips on top over the topping.

To the other half, I mixed in a good squeeze of lemon juice and the zest of one small lemon.

I put them in my little convection oven and waited to see how they would turn out. I hoped that even if the zucchini version wasn’t as good as the rhubarb, the chocolate would still make it appealing for my chocoholic husband.

The breads baked and I anxiously awaited the time they would be finished baking and cool enough to taste test. They looked and smelled good, how would they taste?
The verdict:  they don’t taste like typical zucchini bread. They are moist and  flavorful and have a good, tender crumb. The chocolate ginger combination is good and I think my husband will like it. The lemon version needs more lemon: more zest and perhaps juice as well.

They both would be even better if I had had dark brown sugar on hand for the batter and crumb  topping. I think that is a key ingredient for this recipe to be great, and not just very good. So perhaps I’ll get another chance to test the zucchini version of this recipe with the full set of ingredients!  

Rhubarb Bread

• 1 cup plain Greek style yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2/3 cup Good olive  oil
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F   Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.  
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, oil and egg. Combine the flours, salt and baking soda, stir into sugar mixture alternately with the yogurt mixture just until combined. Fold in rhubarb. Vanilla, ginger and nuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.
3. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger  and butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the unbaked loaves.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

 

 

Cold brewed tea

    Cold brewing is such an unfussy way to make a batch of delicious iced tea. I stumbled on this method by chance, pouring cold water into a pot of leftover “hot brew” herbal tea, and letting it sit all day while I was at work. Strained, sweetened with honey, and iced it tasted even better than the hot brew for this tea; the fruit and herbal flavors were much more pronounced. Shortly after this I learned that the Phoenix coffee shop on Coventry Road (in Cleveland Heights) cold brews its iced tea for 8-12 hours.
    Next I tried a jar of black tea, infusing 3 cups of filtered water with 3 tablespoons of tealeaves, also adding two strips of lemon zest to the brew. The jar sat at on the kitchen counter at room temperature over night. The next morning I strained the tea, warmed a tablespoon of honey in about ¼ cup of the tea, and then stirred the tea-honey mixture back into the jar of tea. I poured some into a glass of ice cubes and put the rest in the refrigerator.
    Today I cold-brewed a mixture of herbal and black tea (rooiboos, elderberry, and black tea), let it sit for 
8 hours, and repeated the honey addition at the end.
    It is a wonderful way to enhance the fruity and herbal notes of many teas, and it eliminates the step of cleaning out a teapot. (I ‘ve been brewing and storing the tea in a canning jar.) It is also a nice way to enjoy a variety of artisan honeys. I have tried buckwheat, locust, and strawberry blossom honey so far. 


1.Fill a canning jar with filtered water
2. Add tealeaves, (black, green, herbal, in any combination, about tablespoon tea leaves per cup of water.).
3. For a citrus flavor, add a few strips of lemon or orange zest.
4. Cover the jar and let sit at room temperature for 8-12 hours.
5. Strain to remove the tealeaves
6. Warm some honey (about 2 teaspoons for a mild sweetness) in ¼ cup of the tea (or water), I used the microwave for this step.
7. Stir to dissolve all the honey and then pour it back into the rest of the tea and stir well.
8. Serve over ice or refrigerate.

Whole-grain Strawberry Shortcake

[Posted by Ann]

This was strawberry jackpot week in northeastern Ohio. After two weeks of slightly tart berries that needed some sweetening, the perfectly luscious, sweet-as-candy strawberries have arrived. (Of course, with a little Ohio honey, or light maple syrup added, the early berries are still better and juicier than strawberries imported from far away places).

To celebrate our strawberry high season, I experimented with a new recipe for whole grain shortcake biscuits, adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. (Drop biscuits with strawberries and cream). This is an easy recipe using heavy cream instead of butter for the shortening. I made half the recipe, substituting spelt and buckwheat flour for the all purpose flour. Since spelt absorbs more moisture, I had to increase the ratio of the heavy cream. (all three flours are sold at the North Union Farmers Market)


I loved the biscuits; they tasted like a fluffier version of Carr’s wheat meal biscuits, nutty and flavorful. Here is my adaption of Boyce’s recipe.

Preheat over to 325 degrees F
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

Add the dry ingredients and mix well
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
¼ cup spelt flour
1-tablespoon buckwheat flour
1-teaspoon baking powder
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup turbinado or raw sugar

Pour in ½ cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream and stir with fork, (possibly add more if not all of the flour become moistened.) Using a spoon or your hands, scoop out and drop ¼ of the the dough onto the baking sheet, shaping it into a mound. Repeat three more times, there should be four biscuits.

Bake for 20 minutes and then turn the pan, baking another 15 to 20 minutes.

Let cool slightly before assembling in traditional strawberry shortcake (Or just enjoy them warm out of the oven.)  

My adventures with orange butter

[posted by Joan]


It all began with some leftover orange butter from Julia Child's Crepe Suzette recipe.
And some leftover Crepes Suzette. And a container of mascarpone in my refrigerator. And the need to make a fancy dessert for my three food-loving friends who were coming to dinner.
 
I thought about a gateau of crepes that I had once made in a cooking class, and thought maybe I could improvise my own version.I was also intrigued with Julia Child’s recipe  for an almond orange filling for crepes, following her Crepes 
Suzette recipe.

Here is what I did:
I took some slivered almonds and ground them with raw sugar in my mini food processor.

Then I mixed that into some mascarpone along with leftover orange butter.
I tasted the result, and it was delicious.
I  warmed up the four leftover crepes suzettes, unfolded them, and
spread each one with the filling, then stacked them into a cake.
I put them in the refrigerator to harden and chill.
When I was ready to serve the gateau, I cut it into quarters and
topped it with some hot fudge sauce I had leftover from a previous
dessert. My friends loved it. A success!

Then, a few weeks later, I still had some orange butter left (stored
in the freezer) and another set of food loving friends coming to
dinner. I thought about recreating the gateau of crepes, but didn’t’
really want to make a whole batch of crepes.
Then I came across a recipe for a Blood Orange Pound Cake I had
printed out to make, and decided to make that and cut it into layers,
and use the same filing and topping.

Here is the recipe for the cake:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/02/blood-orange-olive-oil-cake/

I did not have blood orange so I used big, pungent tangelos instead.

I added a little ground cinnamon to the recipe and used a good, 
whole-milk greek yogurt. It all worked beautifully and the cake was moist, fragrant, and delicious.

So far so good.

I tasted it and let it sit for a day before the dinner party. I
decided to modify the filling because my husband thought he had
become allergic to almonds. So I used dry roasted hazelnuts (purchased
in Oregon) instead. I took abut 1/3 cut of the nuts and ground them
with about ¼ cup sugar in my mini prep. Then mixed them with the
remaining orange butter (about 1/3 cup) and about 4 ounces of
mascarpone.

I cut the pound cake into four slices from the bottom up, and then
forsted the bottom layer, stacked another on top, frosted that, and
repeated until the top layer was put on and that was not frosted.
When done, there were four cake layers and three frosting layers.

I wrapped the cake in plastic wrap and chilled it for a few hours to
let the filling get more solid.
I made the fudge sauce by melting 4 oz semi sweet chocolate chips in
about ¼ cup cream with a Tbsp of butter mixed in. As soon as the chips
were mostly melted. I removed them from the heat and stirred vigoursly
until the mixture was satiny and smooth.
Then I mixed in some vanilla and ground cinnamon, and set the sacue aside.

After our meal was finished, I cut thin slices of the cake, topped
each with a dollop of the warmed up fudge sauce, and garnished each
serving with a single whole strawberry that had been dipped in
pondered sugar.
My guests seemed to be in heaven, making little groaning sounds as
they ate the cake.
I think will try it again! The leftovers are also good, with or
without the sauce.

Orange Butter
• Zest of 2 oranges
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 3 Tbsp orange liquer such as Grand Marinier

 For orange butter, pulse orange zest and sugar in a food processor,
to extract the zest oils. Add butter and orange juice and blend until
smooth. Stre in Orange liqueur.Transfer to a bowl or shape into a log
and chill until formed.