sticky orange cake with marmalade glaze (for breakfast)

sometimes you see something and you just NEED it. this was one of these things. becky crocker sent this recipe my way and no more than 3 days later and my entire apartment was eating it for breakfast. yup, cake and ice cream for breakfast! (as a spring cleaning reward).

although the cake itself is vegan, thekitchn (recipe source) recommended pairing it with pistachio ice cream, which is exactly what we did. yummmm. and i promise, this is one of those recipes that just happens to be vegan, as in, you aren't substituting anything unusual and it doesn't taste like anything has been "altered." the apple cider vinegar ensures a wonderfully fluffy texture.

sticky orange cake with marmalade glaze from thekitchn
makes 2 9-inch round layers

• 3 cups flour (i used a mix of spelt and gluten free)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 2 tpns baking soda
• 1 tspn salt
• 1 orange, zested
• 2 cups orange juice
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tblspns apple cider vinegar
• 1 tspn vanilla
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoons rum, vodka, or water

• preheat oven to 350°F.
  
• lightly grease 2 9-in rocun cake pans. line the bottoms with parchment and lightly grease the paper.
• make the cake batter: whisk together the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. whisk until thoroughly combined.
• in a separate bowl (i, of course, ignored the separate part), whisk together the orange juice, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla. quickly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ones and whisk thoroughly.
• pour batter into cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• let the cakes cool for about 20 minutes in the pan then cool outside of pans. glaze while cakes are still warm but not hot.
• to make the glaze, mix the marmalade and rum or vodka in a small saucepan. warm over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the glaze is bubbling and hot. turn off heat and immediately glaze cake.
• place one cake layer on a plate. pierce the top with a toothpick a few times. pour about half the liquid over the first cake layer. place the second layer on top and repeat.
• serve with pistachio ice cream!
  

ile flottante

ile flottante at flo nice

i have to admit that i've maintained somewhat of a vendetta against french food most of my life. many of you will be happy to hear that this opinion was shattered during a trip to nice a couple of years ago...yes, a couple of years ago. i have been waiting that long to write this particular entry. i discovered something there so special, unique and fun that i felt i had to find a version of this dish stateside before i could write and share it. because what fun would it be if you had to travel to france to experience it for yourself? okay, maybe i'll take that one back...

imagine this: you walk into a large restaurant to the sight of an army of waiters, half of them with one arm lifted high above their head with a white bowl perched on top. in each bowl is a giant white glowing orb. i might as well have yelped like a small child and asked the first person i could find what THAT was. then i not-so-patiently sat through an entire (glorious) meal, waiting until the moment i could experience the magic orb in all its glory.

ILE FLOTTANTE! essentially, this dessert is a meringue ball/cube/other shape floating in a bowl of creme anglaise. yum. but as you can see, the presentation is quite remarkable. especially when you have a giant ball of meringue in front of you that is practically as large as your face. if you're headed across the atlantic, i'd recommend the version at flo brasserie. but as for the rest of us, a similar version (although not quite as grand in appearance--i promise it makes up for it in taste), can be found at bouchon.

ile flottante at bouchon in las vegas

for all practical purposes, let's discuss the actual flavor makeup of our good ol' u.s. of a location. bouchon's version was a little different because the meringue had a bit of a denser consistency which made the taste a little richer. the winner here was the salty carmel sauce drizzled on top. good thing they provide you with an entire dish of it (and not just what's drizzled on top). momma zo and i practically drank the rest of it. seriously dangerous. in the best way possible of course...

baked honey figs

by now you probably realize that i develop food obsessions. i.e. i'll get an item in my head and can't shake it out until i accomplish global food domination! aka cook that food and eat it asap.

this week's (and last month's) obsession? figs! so when i saw a basket of these yummy morsels at the farmer's market last week in la, i NEEDED them. really, i was beyond want; i'm talking desperate need. and then i had them at home and wanted to do something with them. some quick internet research yielded a few baked honey fig ideas but i focused on a simple recipe from amateur gourmet as a jumping off point.

in a nutshell: cut open figs, drizzle with honey, citrus, vanilla mixture, and bake until bubbly. serve with a dairy item. (for specifics, see below)

as an accompaniment, i recommend my latest obsession: humboldt fog cheese. make sure to let it sit out to uh, mellow and do it's thing. you won't be sorry.

yummy figs
adapted from amateur gourmet

• figs
• honey
• splash of vanilla
• liiiiitle bit of citrus: original recipe calls for orange zest but all i had was lemonade, so in it went

• cut open figs
• mix together honey, vanilla and citrus and pour over figs
• bake at 375 until bubbly (about 15 minutes)
  

chocolate pancake cake!

a triple roomie bday called for a special treat. especially one appropriate to eat after a late night of drunken debauchery. i bring you the chocolate pancake cake! this, my friends, is a yummy labor of love. and perfect for a bday brunch.


chocolate pancake cake

• 2 cups of pancake mix (i used gluten-free)
• other pancake mix ingredients (whatever is required by your preferred kind)
• cocoa powder
• cream cheese frosting (recipe below)
• strawberries, chopped
  

• prepare the pancake mix according to the directions, with the following adaptations: add a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients and add extra milk so that you get a runny batter, closer to that of crepes.
• pick a large pan to make your pancakes in. add a few tablespoons of batter, and swirl batter around to thinly coat pan. make sure to let the batter spread the width of the pan, so that your pancakes will turn out uniform in size.
  
• very flat, smooth pancakes (more like crepes). you may have to give a test run.
• once you have a giant pile of cooked pancakes, assembly starts.
• put one pancake on a plate, spread on some frosting, add berries. repeat. again and again and again and again.
  

truthfully, there was already a bunch of cream cheese frosting in my fridge (yes, that's really what living in my apartment is like), so i just used that, and thinned it down with some soy milk so that it would spread easier and drip down the sides of the pancakes. but for those whose apartments aren't stocked with all sorts of baking supplies, martha stewart's cream cheese frosting recipe is below.

cream cheese frosting
courtesy of marthastewart.com

• 4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
• 4 ounces room-temperature bar cream cheese
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 tspn vanilla extract
• milk (or soy milk)
  

• beat butter and cream cheese until smooth.
• add confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
• add milk to thin down frosting to desired texture (runny enough to spread down the side of the pancakes).
  

red wine poached pears

i've been craving poached pears lately. it must be my stomach's winter solution to a summer stone fruit dessert. i realize that many people might not exactly be excited by this idea but really, they're super easy and versatile. in this instance they were dessert but they just as easily could have been a snack or yummy breakfast paired with granola and yogurt (my original plan...)

the opportunity to actually make these guys presented itself as a celebratory brunch where a "warm" dessert was requested. perfect! i had never actually poached a pear myself, so there were some nerves involved in the group effort that came to be. we ended up slicing the pears in half and placing them face up in a baking dish. then we mixed together red wine, orange juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, fresh grated ginger and nutmeg, and poured it over the top. it may be argued that the pears were actually baked and not poached, since they weren't completely immersed in the cooking liquid. i'm going to claim that it was a combination of the two. since the stove was already too crowded during brunch preparation, the oven had to do.

it might also be argued that i should have started with the pears face down--at least these are the things i think about. when i decided to stop stressing about it, the pears were face up in the baking dish. you should probably flip the pears at some point, or at least cover them (neither of which we did) but they still tasted damn good. another one of those almost fool proof and impressive items.

closer to my original vision: poached pear with granola and yogurt at anella, before they changed chefs. don't even go trying to find this thing. sadly, it no longer exists.

coconut pancakes

we talked about crazy gluten-free low carb flours before with the almond meal microwave cookie adventure. now another gluten-free flour, brought to you by The Baker: coconut flour. now, if you're like me, you're probably saying, now how the hell does a coconut turn into flour? there's nothing dry about the stuff. my second reaction was, how the hell is coconut flour healthy? i know that coconut is a good cooking alternative, however, because of the fat, it isn't exactly the obvious healthy choice. well, apparently, all of the fat is extracted in order to make the flour. so what results is something that's gluten-free, high protein, high fiber, low carb and low fat. another one of those wonder foods, if you will.

what to make with this wonder flour? coconut pancakes, of course. now it just so happened that when i was making these (the only time i've made them for myself and didn't have The Baker make them for me), i was also making them for someone on a super restricted diet (low fat, low calorie, low sodium, low everything). so if these turned out well with those modifications, then you know the original ones are splendid.

coconut flour pancakes

• 4 eggs (i used egg beaters)
  
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk (i used low fat)

• mix ingredients and let them sit for five minutes.
  
• oil or grease a pan and heat over medium heat.
  
• pour about a 1/4 cup of batter for each crepe, allowing each side to brown before flipping it.

project: bourbon ginger floats

here's a fun one. the essence of the celebration or cheering up moment escapes me. hell, i think it was just another tuesday. no, wait, it WASN'T just another tuesday because this one involved bourbon floats. let me repeat that for those of you in the back row. bourbon-mother-effing-floats. it's no secret that i have a fondness in my heart for bourbon. (see exhibit a, boozy peaches. exhibit b, my mom tells me to drink hot toddies when i'm sick, to come.) but this one really took it to new heights for me.

my lovely dinner guests showed up with a pint of ginger ice cream, among other things. the ice cream (reed's) was a mild vanilla with bits of crystallized ginger throughout. the details of how this master plan came together escape me. it was all probably part of their incredible foresight but all i can remember is how we effortlessy combined the ice cream, some bourbon and gingerale for a delciously yummy beverage and dessert. just be careful about throwing them back too quickly...

butternut squash with frozen yogurt (december csa)

i had a butternut squash i had promised to cook. it was one of those situations where i just needed to get it done to have the thing on hand and ready to eat. however, given that the baking time for these things is about an hour, i wasn't planning on consuming the thing for dinner right after i finished cooking it. after getting home from work and having a somewhat unsatisfying makeshift dinner while the squash was in the oven (i have no clue what it was), i decided it would be a shame not to enjoy some of my freshly baked treat. i was also feeling eager since it was the first time i had ever actually cooked a butternut squash but since i had already technically eaten, my thoughts were on dessert. 9 times out of 10 this means frozen yogurt. why not? so i finished off some of the baking time by topping the squash off with brown sugar. then i sliced some of it over plain frozen yogurt and drizzled with some maple syrup. and it sure worked. think of a more mild, less sweet version of a pumpkin based dessert. it really isn't all that unusual. i'm not sure how using a sweet frozen yogurt would work here, the tartness of the plain one i used really let the sweetness of the squash and maple syrup come through.


baked butternut squash

• cut squash in half, place in baking dish flesh side down with a small amount of water and cook for about 60 minutes, or until soft. if you like, you can flip the squash when you have 15 minutes left and season as desired (in my case this was olive oil, salt and pepper on half and brown sugar on the other).
  

winter solstice celebration

to make a long story short, a number of years ago, my family gave up all winter holidays associated with any religion. granted, as jews by definition, the winter spirit of things has just never held as much meaning as for those who might celebrate a certain baby jesus...in any case, we had it. too much commercialization, commodification, all that jazz.

we decided it would be much more appropriate to actually celebrate the significance of the winter season with solstice. the goal was to not really have any rules. over the years, i've embraced it as my own and created a separate celebration with friends. this has come to mean a small gathering, well stocked with food and alcohol. i usually can't resist the urge to make latkes; this year was no exception. this year's signature drink (no rules; it changes year to year) was a sunshine spritzer. i switched from the usual yellow cake with yellow frosting to an upside-down pear cake. the result is always happy and full tummies. the perfect way to celebrate any holiday, if you ask me.

sunshine spritzer
1 shot whiskey
1/2 shot lemon juice
1/2 shot ginger simple syrup
pour over ice and finish with club soda.

ginger simple syrup: boil 1 part water and 1 part sugar until mixture slightly reduces. remove from heat, add large piece of peeled ginger and cover. allow to steep for at least 20 minutes.


my favorite latke recipe
from the ny times

if you've experienced a latke making session before, you know it's no small feat. unless you have a food processor. but for some reason, i find the need to grate everything by hand...it ends up being hours long in process for fried goodness that gets gobbled in a fraction of the time but is totally worth it.

a couple of notes about making the latkes in advance when you're pressed for time or don't want to be in the kitchen the entire time you have people over: i usually start several hours in advance, grate the potatoes and store them in cold water to avoid oxidation. before you make the latkes, rinse the potatoes with more cold water and drain, then squeeze out additional water. then as i start frying batches, i put them in the oven, layered with paper towels to keep them warm.

• 2 eggs
  
• 3 cups grated drained all-purpose potatoes
• ¼ cup grated onion
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 4 tablespoons matzo meal, or as needed (i use spelt flour)
  
• canola oil, for frying
• applesauce and sour cream for serving (optional).

• in a large mixing bowl, beat eggs lightly. add potatoes, onions, salt and pepper, and mix well. stir in 2 tablespoons matzo meal/flour and let sit about 30 seconds to absorb moisture. if necessary, add more to make a thick, wet batter that is neither watery nor dry.
• place a large skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons of oil. when oil is hot drop in heaping 1/8 cups (about 2 tablespoons) of batter, flattening them gently to make thick pancakes. when bottoms have browned, after 2-3 minutes, flip and brown on the other side. add oil as needed. drain on paper towels and sprinkle with additional salt to taste.
  
• serve hot with applesauce and sour cream, if desired.
• yield: 4 servings (about 24 small pancakes)

maple pear upside-down cake
from mark bittman

this cake is superbly delicious. the outside gets all browned and crispy while the inside is rich without being too sweet. almost coffee-cake-esque. and it looks so impressive!

• 11 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 to 4 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk

• heat oven to 350 degrees. melt 3 tablespoons butter in a small pan over medium heat. add maple syrup and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. bring to a boil and cook for another 2 minutes, remove from heat and set aside. when mixture has cooled a bit, pour into a 9-inch baking pan and arrange pear slices in an overlapping circle on top.
• with a handheld or standing mixer, beat remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. add vanilla and eggs, continuing to mix until smooth. add dry ingredients (i never do this separately but suppose you might want to consider it): flour, baking powder, and salt.
• add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with milk; do not over mix. (NOTE: although i did not over mix, i also did not alternate butter/flour/milk mixtures. too finicky. however, do not let the batter know you are afraid.)
• carefully spread batter over pears, using a spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed. bake until top of cake is golden brown and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 45-50 minutes; a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. let cake cool for 5 minutes.
• run a knife around edge of pan, put a plate on top of the cake and carefully flip it so that the plate is on bottom and the pan is on top. serve warm or at room temperature.
• yield: 8-10 servings
  

Sound scary? Watch the video to ease the nerves.

quinoa breakfast cupcakes

becky crocker originally sent me this recipe and i'm pretty sure we both had the same initial reaction: quinoa cupcakes--how healthy! when we actually got together to make the things, we realized that they were in fact just cupcakes with some added quinoa. next time, we're going to up the quinoa, decrease the flour, and substitute some of the fat with applesauce. but for now, these cupcakes are delicious, juicy and flavorful and perfect for breakfast. serve with some cream cheese frosting or vanilla ice cream and they're even more decadent.

the recipe below is gluten-free but i used spelt flour when i baked them instead of the rice flour because it's what i had on hand.


gluten-free quinoa cupcakes

• 2 medium sized diced apples
  
• 1/4 sugar
• 1 tspn vanilla
  
• 1 tspn ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 4 large eggs
• 9 tablespoons butter (1 stick + 1 tblspn)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/3 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 3/4 cup rice flour (or any other flour)
  
• 1 tspn baking powder
  

• simmer the apple cubes with the water, sugar, cinnamon, and rum until the apple is cooked and almost all the liquid is evaporated.
  
• whisk the egg and sugar and add the melted butter. stir well.
• add the quinoa, mix well, and then add the flour and baking powder. stir well.
• mix in the apple mixture.
  
• bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the tops bounce back when you touch them.

cornflake marshmallow chocolate chip cookies and the milk bar

if you've never been to momofuku milk bar, you should probably check it out. that being said, if you plan to go to the milk bar and can't eat wheat or gluten, prepare to be tortured. of course, i go anyways...

yes, we're talking momofuku, part of the david chang empire. i'm always a fan of women dominating in particularly male fields, so when a ny mag interview came out with this quirky "pastry chef," they had me at female. (call me biased, i just don't care.) the menu can border on absurd: with crack pie, cereal milk, and gummy flavored soft serve, it's just my style. not to mention the cookies, oooooohhhhh the cookies. perhaps ever so more appealing because i can't just waltz in and order one?

my most recent visit (a few bites of crack pie filling and *cornflake* cereal milk soft serve with banana caramel) yielded my discovery of CORNFLAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP MARSHMALLOW COOKIES. take a moment, this is big, i know. i immediately decided, damn those momofuku wheat-lovers, i am going to figure out how to make this cookie! at first i was just going to crush up some cornflakes and throw marshmallows into a normal chocolate chip cookie batter but then i thought better and did some internet research. what i found was this. so someone beat me to the punch but lucky for me, i at least had a recipe to follow. a disclaimer: these things are dangerous. you may eat so many in the process of making them that not only will you feel sick and an oncoming toothache, you will fail to eat a real meal the rest of the day. but then somehow, god willing, you will find room to consume stale popcorn in a movie theater (?!) this is my life. i just blog about it.

cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookies (thanks, christina)
recipe adapted from cookiemadness.net

• 1 3/4 cups (spelt) flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cups ground up corn flakes (measure after grinding)
• 3/4 cups coarsely ground oatmeal
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup marshmallows, frozen if you have time to freeze them

• preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• mix together flour, baking soda, and salt. set aside.
• cream butter and both sugars in a mixing bowl
• beat in egg and vanilla.
  
• stir in oil.
• add flour mixture and stir until it is almost fully incorporated, then stir in the ground corn flakes, oatmeal, and chocolate chips. continue stirring until flour disappears.
• scoop up gobs of dough and wrap each gob around 4 (or so) frozen mini marshmallows. try to seal the marshmallows in dough. you should have balls that are larger than golf balls (about 2 inches diameter).
• Space dough about 3 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for about 2 minutes then transfer to a rack to cool.

yields at least 2 dozen cookies

apple crisp topping (csa week 12)

subtitle: why can't potatoes do this?
also known as: the reason i have no trouble getting through 5 lbs of apples in one week.

when i heard the chatty csa members discussing the types of apples this week at pick up, i almost wished i hadn't. rome apples. i had been lucky to be getting apples that were downright fuji like. large, crisp, sweet. not a mealy one in sight. it had actually been rather remarkable, or so i thought as i crunched daily at my desk. so when this week's apple yielded a less than perfect snacking option, i knew i was going to have to stew the suckers. then i wouldn't know the difference.

i had already done oatmeal with apples and a number of crisps. i decided it was time for a fall frozen dessert topping: apples with a crispy oat topping, over frozen yogurt. kinda like a deconstructed apple crisp. the goal was to make it as quick as possible (so that i could eat it, obviously). lots of contrast in flavors and textures here: i used tart frozen yogurt which went perfectly with the sweet apples and the crispy topping went nicely with the soft apples.

stewed apples with crispy oat topping

cut up apples, put them in a small saucepan, add some fat (i admit, i used earth balance and not butter), some brown sugar, cinnamon, and a little bit of water. a little bit of lemon juice is good too, if you have it. cook over low heat until the apples reach desired level of softness and the liquid reduces and becomes syrupy.

for the topping, mush together oats with some more fat and brown sugar. i cooked mine in the toaster oven and obviously didn't watch them as carefully as i should have as per the visual below...

put on top of ice cream, frozen yogurt, regular yogurt, oatmeal, should I keep going?

macarons in geneva

i'm not sure why but i had never had a macaron before. i think it must have been a wheat phobia and although i had read about them, was never in a situation where i could get a straight ingredients answer. after further research, i deemed them edible but wasn't lusting to get my hands on any. big mistake. if only i knew. so, on the most recent work voyage, when i found myself in geneva once again, on an expense account, i picked up a couple for dessert. let me just say this, had i not been with a work colleague, i would have launched into a full out food-o-face. who am i kidding? i'm pretty sure it was apparent. i had one vanilla and one pistachio. vanilla won. the macarons were light, sweet and crisp and contrasted perfectly with the smooth frostingly center. forget your standard sandwich cookies, america, the rest of the world has got you BEAT! seriously, go forth and conquer, which is exactly what i plan to do. and please, report back.

strawberry and blueberry shortcake

if you've been reading the blog, you know i'm all over the fruit desserts. i honestly just can't help myself. and even better, all of them are so easy and quick, it's simple to just whip something up when the mood strikes. if you're like me, the dessert mood strikes several times a day...this dessert is no different than the rest in its easiness and speediness. kinda dangerous, actually. THIS is the reason america should be fat, people!

i always shy away from biscuit related things because i anticipate a lot of kneading and rising and rolling and cutting. not so! really, this couldn't be easier. there are three components here: the shortcake, whipped cream (don't let me catch you using anything out of a can!), and the fruit. the shortcake came from, no surprise, mark bittman. i chose his recipe over the others because he actually stated it was okay to use lowfat milk (i would have done it anyways). even though i used spelt flour, which tends to have a denser texture than other flours, the biscuits were perfectly crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. i enjoy my whipped cream with some sugar and vanilla. DO NOT use lack of an electric mixer as an excuse not to make it yourself. make sure the cream is extra cold and use a metal bowl, it really doesn't take long, i promise. the fruit (you can get creative but we used strawberries and blueberries) should be stirred together with some sugar (amount depends on the sweetness of the fruit). allow it to sit until it gets all juicy and happy looking. we added some lemon zest to the fruit (thank you, friend number two & co.) and it really brought it all home.

new name: better than sex shortcake.

mark bittman's real strawberry shortcake

• 6 cups cleaned and sliced strawberries (or a combo of other fruit; we used strawberries and blueberries)
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• Pinch salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons cold butter
• 7/8 cup milk (low-fat is all right)
• sweetened whipped cream

• preheat the oven to 450 degrees. toss fruit with 1 cup sugar (use less if the fruit is particularly sweet). mix remaining sugar with flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
  
• cut the butter into bits, and cut into or run with your fingers into the dry ingredients, until the mix is crumbly.
• slowly add the milk to the bowl, stirring it in with a large spoon until the mixture forms a ball. the mixture should be sticky; use a little more or less milk if necessary. drop mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet, one heaping tablespoon per cake.
• bake about 10 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown. (keep an eye on them; once browning starts, it goes quickly.) let cool a bit; top with strawberries and their juices and the whipped cream.

yield: 12 servings.

boozy peaches (csa week 4)

i was thrilled to see peaches show up in the csa bounty this week but they weren't quite at their prime. when becky crocker came over for a surprise visit the other night, it was the perfect time to employ the following method for some yummy but underdeveloped peaches.

we were just going to cut up the peaches and throw them in a pan with some butter and brown sugar but then the discussion took a turn towards alcohol. bourbon, to be more specific. so, into the pan it went. what resulted was a deliciously perfect topping for some frozen yogurt (yes, it's in my freezer at all times, in case you were wondering). the butter and sugar caramelized beautifully and the bourbon flavor was slightly there just to add to the butterscotchiness of it all without being too strong.

boozy peaches

• peaches, sliced
• a couple of tablespoons of butter (enough to keep the pan moist)
• some brown sugar
• splash of bourbon

• melt butter in pan, add brown sugar and stir
• let sugar melt and reduce slightly, then add peaches and toss
• add a splash of bourbon (off the heat!) and allow to cook for a few minutes
  

blueberry crisps, cobblers and crumbles (csa week 3)

as a threw a handful of blueberries on my morning cereal, i couldn't help but contemplate cobblers, crumbles, and crisps. don't get me wrong, i love my blueberries plain as much as the next person but i was just itching for another fruit dessert. so what's the difference between the three anyways? the crisp was always popular in my house growing up. it's pretty hard to screw up, easy to make without a recipe and naturally wheat-free since the grain/starch involved is oats. according to an online article, a crumble is quite similar but the british version. so the real difference is with the cobbler. a cobbler is more like a pie as the topping is much more dough like. given that i had gone the cobbler-ish route lately, i decided to go for the crisp. ok, the real reason i went for the crisp is that i got frustrated looking up blueberry recipes, researching the difference between various types of fruit desserts and threw my laptop aside in a fit of fury. all so that you, dear reader, would not have to walk down this same road! then, i went to the kitchen to bake. this really is my favorite part about most fruit desserts. you can do just about anything and the thing's still gonna taste good.

go go zoe's fit of fury blueberry crisp no, i will not give you amounts or specific instructions here.

• fruit (i used blueberries and as always, threw in a nectarine to fill in since i had already consumed most of the blueberries on cereal)
• cornstarch
  
• oats
• butter, cold and cut into small pieces
  
• sugar: brown and regular
• lemon juice
  

• stir together fruit, a bit of sugar (depending on the fruit's sweetness), some lemon juice, and a liiiiittle bit of cornstarch.
• make the topping: combine butter, oats and brown sugar. mush together with a fork or hands until it's crumbly.
• put topping on top of fruit.
  
• bake until bubbly and slightly browned (20-30 min) on 350.
• serve with some whipped cream, ice cream, frozen yogurt, heavy cream, or nothing at all.
  

wheat-free strawberry dumpling (csa week 2)

subtitle: a dessert to rock your socks off--seriously!

it really pays to stay on top of the food blogs. especially one of my favorites, thekitchn; i've mentioned it on more than one occasion. in this particular instance, a recipe review of gourmet's strawberry dumpling caught my eye. it looked so good, simple, and seemed like the perfect use for my overabundance of csa strawberries. what's more, this week's strawberries weren't particularly sweet, so i hadn't gobbled them all up plain quite yet. it seemed much better to use them in a recipe that would enhance their flavor and sweetness.

so this recipe is sort of obvious in a few ways. by that, i mean that it makes complete sense and once you understand it, it's one of those method things that you could apply to almost any food. how, you ask? forget the strawberries, use your favorite berries. or go with all stone fruits. or, hell, i bet it would work with apples as well. or let's get really crazy, and go back to the dumpling roots. now we're on a completely different page but in addition to the classic chicken and dumplings, you could make this with any vegetables you wanted (no meat necessary).

don't be scared by the way it looks here. we can't all be as beautiful as gourmet magazine. that and my nectarine and spelt additions made the colors much more, shall we say, earthy??? i made a couple of minor modifications to the recipe below. first, i used a combo of strawberries and nectarines because i happened to have a nectarine on hand. second was using low fat milk instead of whole. and i'm glad i did. i'm not into the super rich dairy items (hence the froyo preference) and i really don't think that this negatively impacted the dumplings. the whole dessert is so good and substantial but not too heavy that i was glad the dumplings didn't feel like they were going to sink to the bottom of my stomach. that and spelt tends to be a little denser, so i figure they canceled each other out. i even plan on trying soy next time.


strawberry (or any other kind) dumpling

• 1 quart strawberries, trimmed and thickly sliced (about 4 cups)--or any other combination of fruit of your choosing!
• 2/3 cup sugar (you certainly don't have to use this much. adjust according to how sweet your fruit is)
• 1 cup spelt flour (or your preferred gluten-free baking mix)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2/3 cup milk (the original recipe calls for whole; i used low-fat)

• stir together strawberries and sugar in a 4-qt heavy saucepan and let stand, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 15 minutes. bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. blend in butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. stir in milk until just blended, then add mixture to boiling berries and stir once or twice (thekitchn recommended just dropping the dough in on top and not stirring, which is what i did). tightly cover saucepan and reduce heat to low.
• cook, undisturbed, until dumpling looks dry on top, 15 to 18 minutes. let stand off heat, uncovered, 5 minutes before serving.
• serve with heavy cream, vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt, regular yogurt--something creamy. or not.
  

my new favorite thing: balsamic reduction (csa week 2)

the awesome thing about a balsamic reduction is that it's super quick, easy, and a welcome addition to just about anything. and there's really nothing like letting everyone know a balsamic reduction is involved to sound like you really know what you're doing. it's easy, i swear! especially the little thing i put together the other night. say hello to your (and my!) new favorite summer dessert: strawberries with balsamic reduction over frozen yogurt. what resulted was a yummy, tart and slightly sweet cool and refreshing treat. and call me crazy, but i just think it might hold up to chocolate (some chocolate pudding thrown into the mix, in my case).

strawberries with balsamic reduction over frozen yogurt

• balsamic vinegar
• strawberries, sliced
  
• plain frozen yogurt (i used trader joe's nonfat)

• pour balsamic vinegar in a small pan and cook over low heat for a few minutes until it reduces. it will bubble slightly, become thick and coat the pan.

• pour over yogurt and strawberries.
  

stone fruit means summertime!

finally, stone fruit! the abnormally cold spring weather seems to have delayed the crops but at last, my beloved nectarines are back. my first spotting was at the grocery store last week so i grabbed some of them along with some apricots. then, due to a hectic week, i wasn't home enough to be eating them. last night i decided to eat them in one go, as a dessert. grilled seemed like the perfect method here. now, i do not have a grill, bbq, or grill pan. what i do have is a george foreman grill (which can be problematic when you don't want flavors/grease/marinade dripping off of your food item), which seems to get the job done. i mean come on, yummy fruit, grill it, bake it, freeze it, it's all going to be good.

after i grilled the fruit sprinkled with some brown sugar, i gave it a good few minutes on the grill. sadly, the brown sugar didn't really caramelize, it just kind of melted. maybe because it has more moisture? the heat was off? live and learn but at least it still tasted good. i choose to serve my grilled fruit over vanilla yogurt with a little more brown sugar sprinkled on top (you could also use honey here). but really, between the sweetness of the fruit and yogurt, it probably didn't need it. and then once i settled in front of the tv, i maaaay have tossed in some chocolate chips...gotta have my fix.