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).
  

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?

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
  

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.
  

a cake that's perfect for breakfast

what do you think of when you hear about a cake made with olive oil and oranges? i think, "wow, doesn't that sound like the perfect breakfast cake?" hence the sunday morning bake-fest with my favorite baking pal, becky crocker. crocker is the perfect person to bake with since she let's me do all of the things i deem "fun." in this case, it was supreming oranges. that is, until i had done 6 of them and the cut in my hand was stinging of citrus. enter crocker to the rescue, finishing off the job. then there's mixing. i am known to have the amusement level of a small child aka enjoy whipping heavy cream until it's almost whipped cream and my arms are so tired they feel like they are going to fall off. remind me again why i don't just go buy a freaking hand mixer. enter crocker again, to the rescue.

this cake recipe appeared in last week's nytimes dining section and uses olive oil as the fat source. oranges, orange juice and yogurt ensure its moist texture. we used mostly regular oranges instead of blood oranges since the blood ones are not so plentiful in our respective neighborhoods. we weren't so careful about keeping our wet and dry ingredients separate until the end; becky crocker defies the laws of baking.

an alternative serving method to the recipe: serve cake warm (microwave if you have to) and top with vanilla frozen yogurt--YUMMMMMMMM...

blood orange olive oil cake

• Butter for greasing pan
• 3 blood oranges
• 1 cup sugar
• small container of plain yogurt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups flour (i used spelt, as per usual)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Honey-blood orange compote, for serving, optional (see note)
• Whipped cream, for serving, optional.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Grate zest from 2 oranges and place in a bowl with sugar. Using your fingers, rub ingredients together until orange zest is evenly distributed in sugar.
• Supreme an orange: Cut off bottom and top so fruit is exposed and orange can stand upright on a cutting board. Cut away peel and pith, following curve of fruit with your knife. Cut orange segments out of their connective membranes and let them fall into a bowl. Repeat with another orange. Break up segments with your fingers to about 1/4-inch pieces.
• Halve remaining orange and squeeze juice into a measuring cup. You will have about 1/4 cup or so. Add buttermilk or yogurt to juice until you have 2/3 cup liquid altogether. Pour mixture into bowl with sugar and whisk well. Whisk in eggs.
• In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently whisk dry ingredients into wet ones. Switch to a spatula and fold in oil a little at a time. Fold in pieces of orange segments. Scrape batter into pan and smooth top.
• Bake cake for about 55 minutes, or until it is golden and a knife inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool to room temperature right-side up. Serve with whipped cream and honey-blood orange compote, if desired.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Note: To make a honey-blood orange compote, supreme 3 more blood oranges according to directions in Step 2. Drizzle in 1 to 2 teaspoons honey. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir gently.

new york fixtures

everyone has a couple of new york fixures in their life. these aren't items, they are people who are unique figures in the neighborhoods they occupy or in which they run their business. their regularity is comforting and they make people feel at home with their personality and quality offerings.


take ray, for instance, who works in a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop on avenue a. among my friends, he is known as the frozen yogurt man. others refer to his shop as the belgian fries place and still others refer to him more formally as ray alvarez of ray's candy store. when i lived nearby, in a shoebox apartment in the east village, my roommates and i would find any excuse we could to wander over for a late night/weekend afternoon/substitute for dinner treat. i would even trek over by myself during snow storms to get my froyo fix. after we moved away and into our own apartments boroughs away from each other, we would still meet there for froyo. because of my love for this shop and the memories i have, it scared me to hear recent news of ray's poor health and finances.

every time i loose one of these people or their livelihood is threatened, i feel as though the misfortune has happened to a close friend and someone who is actually part of my life. the news of joe ade's death this week was heartbreaking. if the name isn't familiar, he was the vegetable peeler man. you can probably recall seeing him sitting on a street corner, happily peeling away and belting out his sales pitch. he was one of those people who was a mainstay in the city-someone who was constantly around and made you smile every time you saw him. it isn't that ray or joe are taken for granted; it's just that you don't consider passing by without them being there. to me, it feel as though a part of my belonging to the city has been chipped away and i am forced to scramble to find a substitute.

"save ray" tshirts will be on sale at ray's candy store to benefit ray (or just go buy some yummy fries or froyo). a memorial for joe is planned for saturday. if you missed your chance to get a peeler, you can order them online.

a trip to the other coast (part 1)

Since I am from LA, I went to go visit my family for the winter holidays (aka, a 4-day extended weekend whirlwind getaway.) Below are some food highlights from my trip, countdown style. I'm going to take a few days here to post these; build some anticipation for my 2 readers out there. Who's excited to see what number one is?!

NUMBER 4- Sparky's




Hands down THE BEST frozen yogurt that ever existed. Granted, I am completely biased since I have been going there since I was toddling. Sparky himself remembers me from those days and reminds me of this when I go with either of my parents. Sparky's always has two flavors of carbolite yogurt, or as my dad calls it, "no-no-no-yogurt" for no fat, no sugar, no carbs, (almost) no calories. My favorite carbolite flavor is angel food cake but flavors change several times a week. As angel food cake was nowhere to be found on my recent visit I went carbolite-free with tart yogurt with white and dark chocolate chips on one visit and fudge and vanilla swirl with peek-a-boos the other.

SIDENOTE: Sparky is the man who got me calling these little treats peek-a-boos. I (happily) blame him for all of the weird looks I have received at other frozen yogurt shops across the country. Come on people, I know they're called nonpareils but how much more fun is peek-a-boo?!! Embrace the sense of humor here! END SIDENOTE.

Sparky's is housed in Santa Monica, on Main street in Arnold Schwarzenager's old building. We're talking pre-governor days here. In any case, Arnold has since sold the building and due to rising rent costs Sparky has decided to only renew his lease for another 3 years (and this was around last summer). The man is resilient but get it while you can! When a Pinkberry opened down the street a year or two ago and then a Red Mango across the street, I was heartbroken. I was sure it was the end but Sparky's held strong! I may or may not have wooed a couple of groups of people not to cross the street to the dark side but I'm not here to take credit. The only reason this is number 5 is because I always visit when I am home. Several times. Take this visit, 2 out 4 full days, I made a Sparky's run. And it wasn't nearly enough.