White Cake * White Frosting

Super Soup

I am trying to add more real food to my diet, as opposed to pie. So, when my mom delivered ingredients for a flu-fighting soup, I was excited to try it out. Also, I'd been sick for like a month. This winter sucks!

For this soup, sauté in olive oil a red onion, garlic, some butternut squash chunks (frozen are fine), 2-3 seeded and veined red peppers, and three cans of white beans (whatever kind you like). While sautéing all this stuff, put in a few sprigs of fresh thyme and oregano. Add two tablespoons of turmeric and 6 cups of vegetable stock. Bring it all to a boil, and then lower and let simmer about 45 minutes. I also threw in a couple handfuls of spinach towards the end. Soup always needs spinach.

The butternut squash breaks down and makes the soup creamy, which I like. Good toppings for this: Greek yogurt and/or avocado.

Stay warm!

Pretty in Peach

We love all the fruit that comes to our orchard this time of year. Last weekend we snagged peaches. These muffins are perfect for bread pudding lovers--really tender and not crazy sweet.
Mix dry ingredients: 1 cup flour, 1 cup oats, 2 tsps baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt. Mix wet ingredients: 1 cup sour cream, I beaten egg, 1 stick melted and cooled butter, 1/2 cup honey or brown sugar. Stir together and add a cup of chopped peaches and some good quality chocolate, also chopped. Bake 16 minutes at 400.

These are bright and perfect with green tea on a cloudy day.

Brunch!

A couple quick brunch ideas and some fun food we made for Shavuot at our house.  All could be brunch food for sure.

Two of my favorite new brunch foods are these polenta muffins and apple pancakes.  The pancakes are easy and look slick--like you spent so much time creating this little adorable plate.  But, really, just grab a bag of Bob's gluten-free pancake mix and go to town.  I always add a little cinnamon to my pancake mix, but with this recipe, chop a tangy apple into small bits and add some cinnamon to the apple.  Heat a pan and spray either with cooking spray or use a little butter.  Cook the apples for a couple minutes and then add your favorite maple syrup to the pan.  The trick is to keep the heat low enough so that the syrup doesn't burn.  Cover for a minute to let the apples get just a tad softer and pour over your pancake stack.

Next, the MUFFINS! Oh, yeah!  These are just the right bite of savory, and the texture of the polenta in the muffins makes them perfect for a brunch food.

The recipe is featured here.  I did not use the shallot in mine, as I am not a big onion-flavor person when it comes to brunch food.  I did, however, use many fresh herbs from the garden I am growing in my window sill, including thyme, oregano, and sweet mace. 

Before the dry ingredients.

Baked.

As for our Shavuot treats, we did a cheesecake brownie and a ricotta and cream cheese wanton "blintz."

The brownies are a pretty familiar recipe for most.  We used the more decadent Ghirardelli brownie mix, and then added the cream cheese mixture--softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, one egg, and a splash of vanilla--to the top.  Swirl and bake for about 30-40 minutes (check the box).  These didn't swirl well because I made individual muffin tin-size servings.

And, finally, a fun take on a blintz.  Rather than go to all the work of making a crepe, just use a wonton wrapper. 

The filling for these is blintz-like.  Mix a softened 8 oz. cream cheese with a tub of ricotta, an egg, some lemon zest, if you like, and either 1/4 cup sugar, or, if you're me, a couple squeezes of agave.

Wonton wrappers are so cute, you will want to start putting all your food in them.

Just a small bit of filling--or, yes, they will explode.  If they do, fry them anyway.  They are too good to waste.

The fold.  Take a little warm water on your finger and go along all edges.  Fold up and press the sides.  Don't get frustrated.  It will work.  Give it a couple tries.  And not all of them will be this beautiful.  Trust me.  I just get one good one for a picture.  Duh.

Fry them in a little oil.  I am sure you could bake them.  I am also sure they would not taste as good.

These are made for fillings and toppings.  Add fruit or chocolate chips.  Top with jam and/or sour cream or greek yogurt.

Party food!  Yay!

 

 

So I had these leftover dates, and, I didn't really want to bake anything with them, so I decided to stay raw and gluten free and do a brownie bite. Just by mixing a cup of nuts (walnut or pecan), a cup of dates, some cocoa powder, and a little agave in a food processor, you get a pretty brownie-like treat. Not warm and gooey, but dense and chocolate-rich--so, on the whole, pretty healthy and tasty. The Rawitarian does a great version of these: http://www.therawtarian.com/raw-brownie-recipe . I skipped the coconut and added some golden flax.
The Fam did not enjoy the flax but thought the brownie was pretty ok.

In my next batch I am going spicy with cinnamon and cayenne!

The Last Winter Pie

Cream pies, in my book, are really more of a winter food.  As we head into spring, the strawberry and rhubarb desserts (which I HATE!) will start creeping in.  Before that happens, make this farewell-to-winter banana cream pie, and you'll be crazy happy you did.

The original recipe for this is in the latest issue of Bon Appetit.

First pre-bake a pie crust--whatever you like.  We try to find lard-free or make homemade.

Then, take 2 oz. of good chocolate chips and a tsp of coconut oil (or whatever oil) and microwave in 30-second intervals, until shiny.

Spread the chocolate all over the pie crust (and your mouth). Chill this while you are whisking away at the custard part.

The custard part.  Custard does not have to be a disaster!  Custard can be easy to make and not turn to scrambled eggs.  The secret is cooking your cornstarch like a roux and not burning the batch.  You can do it!

So separate three egg yolks and put the yolks in a heavy saucepan, add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup sugar.  No heat on this.  Just whisk until smooth-ish.

Then turn the heat on medium and slowly, slowly add 2 cups of whole milk.  Bring this to a boil and let thicken for about 1 minute.  Then TAKE IT OFF THE HEAT. 

At this point, you are in the home stretch.  Whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 teaspoons of vanilla.

Fold in three chopped bananas.  I like mine just slightly under-ripe.  They don't mush quite as much and last a little longer if you are the only one eating the pie.

Let this sit for a minute.  Make a coffee.  Write a facebook status.  Then pour this into your chilled crust.

I used to work in a little grocery store diner.  I remember the importance of pie, coffee, and conversation.  Communities are built around such things.  This is diner-pie good.

Of course, I'm a homemade whipped cream junkie.  So do that part.  This pie really likes cinnamon whipped cream with a little juiced orange (especially if you're out of vanilla).

Um, yes, those are Nilla Wafers.  No shame.

The Perfect Little Coffee Cookie

So, I have to call this a cookie, because, um, my attempt at making it a biscotti failed, but I am sure this is not the fault of the recipe in Little Herb Gardens.  I am guessing it is the old baking powder I used.  No matter what, the flavors and the texture of this lemon pistachio mint cookie are perfect with a light-roast coffee.  You will feel ready to get that herb garden growing!

What you need: 4 eggs at room temp, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp baking powder (not old), grated zest of one lemon.  I added one handful of pistachios and 5 mint leaves.

Preheat oven to 375.  In a mixer, get the eggs and sugar going for about 5 minutes, until they have what Brennan calls the "dissolving ribbon" consistency.

While I was letting the eggs and sugar frolic, I found it fun to throw pistachios, lemon zest, and mint leaves in my mini-food processor until they were kind of a medium chunky.  Something you would like to bite into in a biscotti or cookie.

(pic before chopping)

When the eggs are ready, add the vanilla.  Next, fold in the flour and salt.  Then fold in the baking powder (not old).  Then fold in your herb and nut mixture.  The real recipe asks for lavender blossoms, but I don't have those yet--so this is what I came up with.

Take the mixture and put it in a piping bag and cut off the end--you don't really need a tip, especially because the bigger pistachio pieces will get stuck.  You want to pipe out cookies that are four inches long and 1 inch wide.  I did the piping on parchment.  These are sticky little things. 

Bake these for about 15 to 20 minutes--edges should be golden.  Take them out and cut each one in half.  Brennan suggests cutting on the diagonal.  Ok.  Then bake at 325 for about 5 to 10 minutes longer.

See, not biscotti!  Oh well.  But good, fragrant, and crispy!  Even better the second day!

Amaze Balls!

 Make a healthy raw snack for the kids. In a food processor mix a bag of pitted dates with 1 cup oats, a handful of walnuts, a few tsps of golden flax, I tsp coconut oil, and cinnamon, and a little water. A tiny bit of agave, too. Blend into a paste, roll in shredded unsweetened coconut, and freeze for a bit. These need to be cold to be extra yummy. You should have yours with some tea, of course. Or a Blonde Fatale. Now there's a food and drink pairing.  Recipe here, but mine makes more.

THE CAKE

So I made a white cake!  One I would serve to good friends--foodie friends, even.  And even though my daughter refused to try a bite because it wasn't chocolate, I will tell you, this is not a cake that will make you long for chocolate.  It is fine.

I owe this cake to the only cake man in my life--Warren Brown, of course.  He is my go-to cake god.  And this, my friends, is his easiest cake to make in the Cake Love book.  EASY.  Made it in 5ish minutes, baked it for 25.  Glossed it with the homemade jam and marmalade from Sunday's brunch, and topped it with lemon whipped cream.  I'm calling that the white frosting, as, quite frankly, I can't make a flippin' frosting to save my life.

Anyway, here is the recipe from Warren for his No-Mixer Cake:

Dry ingredients: 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3/4 powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients: 1 1/2 sticks melted unsalted butter, 1 cup whole milk, 1 tablespoon heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 4 large eggs and one extra yolk, all large.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Whisk your dry ingredients together.  Put all of your wet ingredients in something with a lid and shake them until blended.  Whisk wet into dry.  Done.  Seriously done.  Takes 5 minutes to do this!

Make sure you have two nine-inch pans.  Spray them or parchment the bottom.  I sprayed two throw-away pans, and they were totally fine.  Word of warning, bake these in the middle of the oven, as the cake god says.  I missed this somehow and almost ended up with burnt cake tops.  Oh no!  I rescued them, though. 

Another weird thing I did.  I didn't use real butter.  This is sacrilegious.  I used a substitute we keep around.  I melted 6 oz. of it, and it worked just fine.

Cool the cake and pop it out of the pan:

Then spread some yummy marmalade or jam on top.

Put your second layer on top, cover with more fruity stuff.  And make that whipped cream.  Use the rest of the pint you bought for this recipe.  Mix on high in a cold bowl with a cold whisk attachment.  Add a little vanilla and a squeeze of lemon.

Eat it for breakfast.  Dinner.  Lunch.  Love it.

 

 

Gluten Rich, Gluten Free--I Like a Happy Medium

I have never been able to be a strict food person.  I think diets are miserable.  I don't always believe people who say they have found a new way to live--all I hear in that is "diet."  I like food.  I like food with gluten and without.  I like juicing for a few days.  I like adding juice to a gluten-free week.  I sometimes like a gluten-rich treat.  Quite frankly, food is less my issue than is exercising.  When I exercise, food seems like much less of an enemy.  My work for the summer is to get back to the place where I like the food I'm eating and making and finding an exercise schedule that works for me in between my work and my daughter's busy calendar.  This is not a "new way to live." This is simply being attentive.

For my friends who most certainly have to stick to the gluten-free diet so as not to be completely ill, I admire your strength!  You know that.

Here's a gluten-free salad I enjoy.  We had this at our brunch on Sunday.

1 box of cooked & then cooled quinoa pasta (Quinoa pasta will seem kinda dry, so use olive oil in the water and after you cook the pasta to keep it shiny and good.)

Veggies: 1/2 grated zucchini, 1 carrot diced, 3 diced green onions, 1/2 red pepper, small dice, chopped kalamata olives (or a favorite olive of choice), and anything else you enjoy

I added a can of rinsed white beans to this, but I am going to do blanched edamame next time.

Dressing: Put 2 cloves chopped garlic, a drizzle of balsamic, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil in whatever you have that spins or blends.  Also add this crazy good mustard--like a tablespoon of it, the habenaro kind, because it is so good I would simply spread it on my fingers and eat it.  Our local cheese shop, Brix, sells it.  They sucker me into buying awesome stuff all the time.  We love them.

For a kick at the end, mix the salad together and top with a little plain greek yogurt (yes, we all know, I hate salads that are not creamy) and some curry powder.  Take this to work all week long!

I'm going to double-post today, for my gluten-rich fans and for the fans of the title of this blog.  Yes, I did it!  I finally made a good white cake!  Stay tuned.

 

 

Gluten-Free Brunch with the Fam

Auntie Jojo came on by today, and we had a lovely family brunch--and a little outside time.

Because I was just so excited about brunch, I made marmalade last night in preparation for our gluten-free pancakes this morning. I kinda love orange marmalade. There's something alive when you bite into it. Something at once humble and decadent. Marmalade.

I don't like making big batches of things because I HATE leftovers. Won't eat 'em. So, this is a recipe for a day or two of marmalade for a few folks.

6 oranges, peeled and segmented. Juice one. Zest two. Put it all in a sauce pan. Squeeze a tiny bit of lemon in there. Add some agave and maple syrup to sweeten. Use a package of gf liquid pectin--most are. Slow boil this all together and add a little cinnamon. It should cook down for about 16 minutes. Stir often. It will set up in the fridge. And be amazing.

Eat this on whatever gluten-free pancake you love.  We just did the simple Bob's Red Mill mix with some gf vanilla, and we were good to go.

My new favorite main brunch dish is this diablo egg casserole thing by the Gluten-Free Goddess.  It is absolutely worth it to make the polenta, char the peppers, spend the time.  I loved the spice kick and the soft egg against the polenta chew.  Yum.

So here's how it goes:

1 cup gf polenta, 4 1/2 cups stock

Simmer stock, add polenta, stir forever until it is toothsome. We did not add the cheese.

While you have someone stir that polenta forever, you are going to craft the egg dish that goes on top.

Start by charring these chili peppers.

Really burn the outside of these guys, put them in a paper sack for a few minutes, and then peel the charred layer away, dice.

You will also need to dice a few cloves of garlic.  Add all of this to 2 cups salsa and 2 cups pasta sauce--gluten free, of course.  Add a dash of balsamic and spices--red pepper flake, cumin, cayenne, cilantro.  You are free to experiment and turn up the heat.

Put the sauce in a casserole dish and throw it in the oven for about 15 minutes.  The oven needs to be hotter than in the recipe.  We had it at 375. Then pull out the sauce and crack eggs over the sauce, leaving enough room between each so that the sauce poaches them.  Ours got a little more done than a true poach, but they were still completely delicious.  Again, the wife lived through the spice, the diablo!

Because I am still doing more juice than food, I tried these eggs to make sure they were tasty & the marmalade, of course, but this was my more major food for the day.

Beet and Sweet Potato Dinner Juice

1/4 of a red beet, 1/4 of a sweet potato, mint, spinach, kale, carrot, apple, ginger, 1/4 of a lemon, celery.

This one has a nice sweet zing.

Still, sometimes, I would rather just eat this goodness.