Cinnamon Date Coffee Bread

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Pictured above is a little piece of a hopefully sweet weekend (now if I win my office Oscar pool jackpot…).

Like most people, I presume, weekends are the time for me when some good cooking/baking can get under the belt. I have the leisure to wander the fruit/ veggie stands, fight for a spot at the butcher and joke with the fish monger about freshness. If it’s really cold outside a soup will be made and stored away for the week to come. If it’s mild enough to take my time shopping (no car), I have the opportunity to really let my mind wander, without worrying about exposed fingers falling off from the cold.

It is some of the worst days though, when the last thing I desire is to step outside. Not even my thick flannel pants I wear camping in the fall or my warmest sweater and thick mittens can convince me into the icy voyage. It is these days where the cookbook is a dear friend and a minimalist “whatever’s in the cabinet” recipe comes to the rescue.

It was on one of these bitter days that I picked up one of my new cookbooks and gave it a go.

I recently received a copy of The Cook’s Book from the publisher for review. An initial flip through offers some amazing color photos, many step-by-step, of recipes. It’s a great overall technique book that is easy to follow for a more experienced chef (I would not recommend it to a beginner). Much of what is inside is basics, how to’s and general tips and tricks of the trade—like how many minutes is a medium rare steak again? How do you fillet that fish? Yet many of the recipes can get very challenging, be it time consuming, a difficult step here or there, or a hard-to-find ingredient. (A more involved review in the weeks to come.)

That being said, my initial plunge into this book’s recipes have been extremely rewarding with many more to come. The first challenge was honey-lime truffles. These truffles were an absolute surprise-- who knew I could make such delicious truffles? They were silken and luxurious, sweet and sour and a true Valentine treat.

The above pictured specimen was the next step with this book. I was looking more for a bread, but as I said, it was cold outside. I had to stick with what I had in the cabinets. The dates were a recent birthday gift, I was good to go.

D is a huge fan of cinnamon rolls. Mind you, not the ones that drip with a sugary white glaze, but straight up cinnamon rolls, raisins optional. They are the ones where the deep twisted chasms are filled with gooey spice and the bread is dense, yet sponge-like in a perfect marriage. In fact, D considers me quite the curmudgeon because I refuse to let him have one every day. If I delight him with a purchase there is usually a portion of a follow up conversation that goes something like: “you never let me have the things that I love,” while cinnamon-sugar oozes between his fingers and sticks to his beard he’ll claim “I’m just saving some for later,” instead of wiping himself clean. I am a cruel person.

When I saw this recipe for cinnamon date bread I knew it was the perfect merge of D’s love (cinnamon rolls), ingredients (all on hand in the cabinet) and my favorite (the use of liquor in cooking). The perfect breakfast. While my final version is not nearly as clean looking as the version pictured in The Cook’s Book, I can only assume that it is far better in sweet gooey purity. Below is the recipe as it appears in the book.

CINNAMON & DATE COFFEE CAKE
Serving Size= 1 bread; 4 people. Active time= about 30 minutes. Cook time= 30 minutes.
Makes 1 Bread
* 2-½ tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the mold
* 1-2/3 cups all purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 extra large egg
* 5 tablespoons milk
For layering the dough
* 6 tablespoons brown sugar
* ½ heaped cup roughly chopped dates
* 3-½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1-½ tablespoons dark rum [brandy works well too]

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Thickly butter an 8-½ in ring mold that is 2 in deep, or a cake pan of the same diameter. Line the bottom of the mold or pan with parchment paper.
2) Sift the flour, sugar, and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in the butter using your fingertips. Whisk the eggs with the milk in a cup until well combined, then stir this into the dry ingredients in the bowl. Work the mixture together well with your hands until you have an evenly mixed, soft dough. Scrape the dough out onto a floured work surface and lightly knead it for 10-15 seconds.
3) Mix together the brown sugar, dates butter and cinnamon and rum in a small bowl; keep to one side. Roll out the dough to a rectangle that is roughly ¼ in thick, 14 in long and 8 in wide.
4) Spread the date mixture evenly over the surface of the dough, then roll it up tightly like a jelly roll. With a sharp knife, cut the rolled dough in half lengthwise.
5) Twist the two pieces together, keeping the cut surfaces facing up, then curl into the mold. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes. Let the coffee cake cool in the mold for 5 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack. This is best served still warm.

Cranberry Sweet Bread

The other week I was at the grocery store and noticed the bags of cranberries were finally set out. Mmmm, cranberry juice I mumbled, and in a trance walked over and placed them in the basket D was carrying.

“What are you going to do with those?”
“I dunno, they’re pretty.”

And so the pretty little rubies sat in the fridge for the better part of a week while I researched some recipes. I was looking for something fast and easy that would still look and taste delicious. I finally found it on a Chowhound forum-- a one bowl, just add, stir and bake recipe. I checked the comments and someone had already made it with wowed reaction so I decided to dig in as well.

This cake-like bread was delicious warm right out of the oven. The recipe recommends a caramel sauce, but I think whipped cream would be great too. I had it plain with coffee and it made a great mid-afternoon pick-me-up or breakfast.

This is the recipe list as it appears in Chowhound. There are other fabulous cranberry recipes listed there too so check it out.

*Note: This is not my mother listed below. Also, I cannot vouch for the caramel sauce because I did not make it. The changes I made are as follows: I used 2% milk instead of whole milk and increased the cranberries to one whole 16 ounce bag (from 2 cups). Lastly, I used a 7x11 pan as I wanted a thicker bread. I had to bake mine about 10 min more.

MOM’S CRANBERRY CAKE W/ CARAMEL SAUCE
Makes 1- 9x13 loaf. Active time= 10 minutes. Inactive time= about 30 minutes.
* 2 cups unsifted flour
* 1-½ cups sugar
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
* 1 cup whole milk [2% works well too]
* 2 cups whole fresh cranberries [or 1-16 ounce bag]

1) Preheat the oven to 350F
2) Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and butter together until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3) Add milk and stir until evenly distributed. Fold in cranberries.
4) Pour batter into a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Pour caramel sauce (below) over individual servings and serve.

CARAMEL SAUCE
* ½ cup butter
* ½ cup sugar
* ½ cup brown sugar
* ½ cup half and half

1) Combine all ingredients on stovetop and heat until thickened; do not boil.

Head over to Sweetnicks for the ARF roundup

Applesauce

I almost forgot how much I enjoy applesauce as a snack on its own. Sweet, spiced and best of all, warm and fresh.

As noted, applesauce makes a great side to pork chops and is great as a side to almost any sandwich. I sometimes throw some applesauce into brownies and cake or pancake batters for some extra flavor and moistness.

Applesauce is incredibly easy to make so if you have the dregs of your picked apples lying around, just beginning to turn (or not), throw this on the stove, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your minimal labor in just about 20 minutes. I made mine with apple cider to give it extra sweetness and spices, but you can just as easily use water, some brown sugar and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon.

APPLESAUCE
Serving Size= 6. Active time= about 8 minutes. Cook time= 20 minutes.
* 8-10 small to medium sized apples, peeled, cored and chopped
* ½ cup apple cider
* 1 cinnamon stick, about 3 inches

1) Peel, core and loosely chop the apples into about ½ inch pieces. If you want smooth applesauce, chop all pieces uniform size. If chunky applesauce is desired, chop ¼ of the apples in larger chunks (1 inch or larger).
2) Place apple pieces, cider and cinnamon stick into a small stock pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium. Simmer, slightly uncovered 15-20 minutes until applesauce is at desired consistency. Enjoy warm or cooled.

Check out other Fall Feast-ival items over at WellFed's FitFare!

Tags: applesauce, apples, comfort food, fall food.

Apple Chips

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This past weekend, surrounded by mountains screaming color, D and I headed upstate with some friends to camp. As we have learned from past fall foliage camping years, no trip in the creeping fall days is complete without some apple picking (as well as apple cider and apple donuts).

We ate more than our fill, testing the varietal that would win our hearts and make it into our oversized ½ peck to return to the city. We picked rotten ones from the ground and threw them into the high reaches of trees, attempting to knock loose a prized specimen. We made running high jumps into the branches grasping a seemingly perfect morsel—only to have hopes dashed and eyes splashed with rotten juices. And in the over exuberance of finding a tree of Red Delicious full of fruit, we even came branch to arm with a healthy dose of poison ivy (though none has broken through yet, fingers crossed).

There are few things that feel more fall or are as delicious as a freshly picked apple. And there are few things more rewarding than admiring one’s gathering skills with a bushel of rubies stacked high in the kitchen.

But the bushel sits and the mind must wander into what to do with so many apples. Last night it was braised pork chops in rum cider with apple slices (made too late and eaten too hungerly for a picture). This morning I called upon my days in the third grade for inspiration...

My third grade teacher is what we used to refer to as a “nature freak.” Strange for us suburban kids to find someone so caught up in nature— she once yelled at a classmate of mine because the girl stepped on an ant—“how would you like to be that ant?!” Well, it’s dead now, so we wouldn’t thank you.

But there were some great teachings, most now forgotten, that lay between Pioneer Days (where we dressed like Little House in the Prairie, went to a neighboring school, “hunted” and ate venison stew, churned butter and home schooled our “children”), candle making and Apple Days (where we went apple picking and sat for 2 days peeling, chopping and slicing apples for apple sauce and strung ribbons of apple slices that dried into apple chips in our windows).

So this morning as I looked to our fresh apples I remembered the apple chips. And even faster than stringing them into the window waiting two weeks for them to dry, is the almost instant gratification of drying them in the oven, low and slow until crisp and delicious.

APPLE CHIPS
Serving Size= about 60 chips. Active time= about 20 minutes w/ a Cuisinart or other slicer, more if slicing by hand. Cook time= 2 to 2-¼ hours.
* 5 Granny Smith, Rome or Golden Delicious apples, sliced into even 1/8-1/4 inch discs
* 2 Tbl powdered sugar per baking sheet
* assorted spices depending on flavor desired (lime juice-cumin-curry, cinnamon-sugar, salted or plain are all delicious).

1) Set oven racks on bottom and top quarter of the oven. Preheat to 225F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and dust each with powdered sugar.
2) Line sheets with apples, do not overlap apples or they will stick together.
3) Dust top of apples with selected spice combination.
4) Place one sheet on top rack, one on bottom and back for 2- 2-¼ hours, until apples are golden. Rotate bake sheets half way through cooking and remove apples immediately from sheets onto a cooling rack once out of the oven.
NOTE: Serve as a snack (like regular potato chips) or as a side to sadwiches, on top of ice cream or other creamy fall dessert, in a salad, with pork chops or whatever else you can imagine.

Head over to Sweetnick's for today's ARF round up!

Check out other Fall Feast-ival items over at WellFed's FitFare!

Tags: apple chips, apple, chips, fall food, apple picking

Irish Soda Bread

I am not Irish. I never claim to be Irish or wear a “Kiss me I’m Irish” pin on Saint Patrick’s Day. My mother occasionally dyed things green: toast, eggs, mashed potatoes, and Chicago, where I grew up, still dyes the River green for the occasion. Once, in junior high school, for a bake sale on St. Patrick’s Day, I made Rice Krispie Treats. I had perfected the recipe, adding extra marshmallows, creating extremely gooey, delightful snacks and as a special Saint Patrick’s Day festive spike, I dyed the marshmallows green. My fellow students selling them during the lunch period tried one, loved them, and proceeded to tell everyone they had molded, hording them for themselves-- unpaid, I might add.

I do have many Irish friends: Lisa thrives on Saint Patrick’s Day. She celebrates it with more gusto than her own birthday, getting well scuttered, snogging anything that moves. Some attempt to dismiss their Irish-ness, even on their day of celebration. The others I know actually live in Ireland. They are Irish through and through and the three months I lived with them in Scotland they never let me (or any of the Scots) forget it. And I didn’t—in the end I was speaking with more Irish slang than even I could understand.

I do love Irish food. Bangers and rashers are a perfect start to yer mornin’—easy enough even when good and knackered and you can hardly be bothered to lift a finger. I love spuds and cabbage and an Irish cheddar melted over toast is delicious. Guinness is godly, especially if the barkeep has enough dexterity to “paint” a shamrock in the foam. More than anything, I love tea accompanied by a tasty teacake. And soda bread, a Saint Patrick’s Day "tradition", cannot be beat.

One interesting item to note is that the tradition of Soda Bread is not that old. Baking soda made its way to Ireland in the early 1800’s (it wasn’t produced in the United States until the mid-1800’s). Baking soda was found to be a great leavening agent when used in baking and quickly replaced yeast. Traditional Irish Soda Bread is a dry, unsweetened bread made with only four ingredients. Today, many prefer a sweetened Soda “Cake,” adding raisins or even chocolate chips, making it disappear even faster. Any way you cut it, a good Irish treat should be had on this Saint Patrick’s Day.

These recipes come from The Boston Globe’s Andrea Pyenson. I desired a sweeter cake version of the soda bread and made Mary Burke’s recipe. It is full of raisins and includes a little more sugar than Helen Mahoney’s recipe. (I also bulked up the raisins, adding 1-½ cups, soaked in orange juice overnight.) The two recipes are below to satiate two tastes. Chose one, have it with some tea (or a pint) and slainte!

MARY BURKE’S IRISH SODA BREAD
Serving Size= 2 loaves. Active Time= 10 minutes. Inactive time= 40 minutes.
This fine-crumbed bread has a beautifully crunchy crust and just a hint of sweetness.
* 8 Tbl (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 4 cups flour
* 1 cup sugar, plus 1 Tbl for sprinkling
* 4 tsp baking powder
* ¾ tsp baking soda
* pinch of salt
* 1 egg
* 1-½ cups buttermilk
* 1 cup raisins

1) Set the oven at 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans.
2) In a large bowl, cream the butter with a pastry blender or fork. Add the flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well with the blender or fork.
3) In another bowl, stir together the egg and buttermilk.
4) Make a well in the flour-butter mixture. Pour in the egg mixture. Mix gently but thoroughly. Stir in raisins.
5) Transfer the dough to the pans, dividing it evenly. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
6) Bake for 40 minutes or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean.
7) Cool the loaves in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out of the pans and leave to cool completely.


HELEN MAHONEY’S IRISH SODA BREAD
Serving Size= 1 10-inch loaf. Active Time= 15 minutes. Inactive time= 1 hour
This loaf is slightly drier than Mary Burke's, and not quite as sweet.
* 2 Tbl vinegar
* 2 cups milk
* 4 cups flour
* ½ cup sugar, plus 1 Tbl for sprinkling
* 2 tsp baking powder
* ½ tsp salt
* 2 Tbl unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 1 cup raisins
* 2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
* 2 Tbl butter, melted

1) Set the oven at 375 degrees. Butter a 10-inch round cake or springform pan.
2) In a small bowl, stir the vinegar into the milk and set aside.
3) In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the softened butter. Stir in the raisins and caraway seeds, if using.
4) Stir in the milk with a fork just until combined.
5) Transfer the dough to the pan. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross in the middle of the bread. Brush melted butter over the top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
6) Bake the bread for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 and continue baking for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
7) Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and leave to cool completely.

Coconut Banana Bread w/ Lime Glaze

I do not make my own bread. I have in the past, but now that I live less than 1 block away from my favorite neighborhood bakery (I assure you my habitat’s location is pure coincidence) I find no need to make my own. In the summer, when I leave my windows open in the bedroom, if I go to sleep late enough (around 2 am), the smell of fresh baking bread comes wafting down the shared alleyway. Every so often, I drag myself from bed, pull on clothes, and go to the bakery at this time. The front door is left open for ventilation and one is allowed to buy tomorrow’s bread, still warm—right off the racks. Why bake bread with a setup like this?

This is why: while my neighborhood bakery has succulent olive breads, ciabatta, sourdoughs, wheat and ryes, there are no sweet breads. No carrot bread or zucchini bread. More importantly, no banana bread! Which I feel should really be a staple in any bakery.

When I was younger, it was almost weekly that my mother would produce one of the above three mentioned sweet breads. While my favorite (surprise to myself) was the zucchini bread, banana to this day, takes a close second.

A few years ago while working in publishing, my mother used to ship (bribes for books) of fresh baked goods for my fellow workers and me. The best shipment we ever acquired was shortly after my mother received Cooking Light, September 2003. I went to the mailroom to retrieve my package—the entire room smelled like banana. A new screening process had recently been implemented for incoming packages and I am sure the mailroom staff had a good laugh when the pungent package of baked products came through. The package was released to me under one condition: it had to be opened right then, and all present were to receive a piece of whatever was inside.

Inside were three of Cooking Light’s seven best banana breads: Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread, Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze and Classic Banana Bread. Needless to say Cooking Light completed all research to ensure that each recipe was pungent with banana and mouthwateringly delicious. They were even able to survive the two-day shipping process, keeping moist.

With three bananas awaiting me in the freezer and a fresh coconut in the refrigerator, re-creating the coconut with lime glaze was a natural choice (even though fresh coconut is not necessary. This bread is moist and delicious with the perfect blend of coconut and banana. It remains fresh days later and the coconut-lime combination is the perfect compliment to the banana. All seven Cooking Light recipes can be found here along with nutrition information for each. The Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze is below.

COCONUT BANANA BREAD w/ LIME GLAZE
Serving Size= 12-16 slices. Active Time= 20 minutes. Inactive Time= 1 hour.
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* ¾ teaspoon baking soda
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* ¼ cup butter, softened
* 2 large eggs
* 1-½ cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
* ¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt
* 3 tablespoons dark rum
* ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
* ½ cup flaked sweetened coconut
* Cooking spray
* 1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut
* ½ cup powdered sugar
* 1-½ tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

1) Preheat oven to 350°.
2) Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk to combine.
3) Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute).
4) Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in ½ cup coconut.
5) Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
6) Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool bread completely on wire rack.

COOKING NOTES: 1) Although the rum smells excellent in the batter, I do not know if it is necessary in the final product. To really utilize the rum flavor I think mixing it in with the glaze for more of a kick. 2) In the final batter I added about ¾ cup coconut (an extra ¼ cup). The final bread is saturated in delicious coconut bits. 3) I used a 8 x 4-¼ inch bread pan coated in butter instead of cooking spray. The batter just fit the pan and really popped out during baking. 4) My bread baked for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Feelin' Fruity: Part IV Mango Tango Smoothie

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Just when I mention the winter ocean picking up the slack for the things we crave, I desire the joys of summer. With one mango to my name and a handful of blackberries, what else is there, but a delicious smoothie?

I am not talking about that slick electronic “BlackBerry,” I happily do not own and is the joy (and misery) of lawyers across the nation. The blackberry I speak of is plucked from the bush. They turn your clean hands a royal purple and are a sweet and pleasant fruit.

Native to many parts of the world, the blackberries we consume today have been used for over 2,000 years in medicinal and culinary purposes. Their thorny branches are also a tasty way to keep intruders away, though your delicious bush may be plucked clean, the thief will easily be caught purple-handed. The berry was once crushed and used as ink (forget the dog, I might eat my own homework). Today, amidst other disease research, blackberry tannins are being studied for their role in fighting cancer.

While in Latvia, my cousins mixed blackberry juice (as well as current juice, orange juice and vodka—or combination of all) with Balsam—their claim to a quick fix of whatever ails a person: from upset stomach; to hangover; to liver damage. I will say this combination was rather revolting, but alone, blackberry juice was thick and delicious. I have yet to find it in the United States, but maybe my search has not reached far enough.

Though I would not add balsam to this smoothie, a little banana never hurt the texture or flavor…

MANGO TANGO SMOOTHIE
Makes 2 smoothies. Prep time= 8 minutes. Use a hand-held or stationary blender.
* 15-20 blackberries
* 1 ripe mango (for peeling suggestions go here)
* 1 ripe banana
* ¼ cup plain yogurt (vanilla, low-fat, no-fat, regular or soy options work too)
* ½ cup orange juice

1) Place all ingredients in blender. Blend and serve.

Other smoothie options:
Berry Merry Smoothie
Apricot-Mango Smoothie
Berry-Banana Smoothie

Feelin' Fruity: Part III Berry Merry Smoothie

The weather in New York has been a tease this last week. Mild, breezy and spring-like, people are shedding their winter frocks and embracing the warmth. We should enjoy it while we can, but really, why give the people such a pure indication of a change when the bitter winds are sure pull around again? With this in mind, we must keep healthy. Keep up our intake of antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables, and more importantly, allow it to please out palate.

Herewith, a favorite installment of mine: the berry smoothie. There is nothing like a fruit smoothie to boost your energy. Pack it with energy inducing fruits and a scoop of yogurt, this sweet drink helps get you through the morning with a tropical state of mind, regardless of the dropping mercury. Today’s is an odds-and-ends of leftover fruits I found while cleaning out the freezer.

How surprised I was to uncover some long-forgotten blueberries. I also found a small stash of currants that I had purchased for New Year’s to drop in Champagne (this was a great trick: the light currants danced marvelously in the bubbly). Currants are just now making a name in the U.S. Long a European favorite, these poison-looking berries are rich in disease-fighting abilities; thought to be more potent than blueberries and pomegranate pulps. They are also packed with vitamin C, A, potassium, calcium and phosphorous. Even better: I met a man a few months back who planted the first currant farm in the U.S. to produce currant juice. It tastes delicious and I cannot wait until it hits my local store.

BERRY MERRY SMOOTHIE

Makes 2 smoothies. Prep time= 5 minutes. Use a hand-held or stationary blender.
* 10 blackberries
* handful of currants (red, black or white)
* ¼ cup ripe blueberries
* 4 ripe strawberries
* 1 ripe banana
* ¼ cup plain yogurt (vanilla, low-fat, no-fat, regular or soy options work too)
* ½ cup orange juice

1) Place all ingredients in blender. Blend and serve.

Other smoothie options:
Apricot-Mango Smoothie
Berry-Banana Smoothie

Feelin' Fruity: Part II Apricot-Mango Smoothie

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For today's installment of "Feelin' Fruity" let us journey to India...

Mangoes originated in India where they have been cultivated for over 4000 years. Buddhist monks spread the joys of this fruit across the land, carrying them on their long treks. In the 4th and 5th centuries, mangoes turned up in the Middle East and Africa, eventually making their way to South America and other tropical areas. Today with the joys of industrialization, I can enjoy this fruit in New York, even in the bitter winter.

There are many mango varieties. The most interesting I have tried is the Haitian mango. It is a bit smaller than the standard mango usually available. It seems only to be available in the summer, and only in Chinatown or my small local fruit markets (not in my regular grocery store's fruit section). It ripens to a deep yellow and can be highly speckled with brown spots. The inside is an intense deep orange with an extremely potent flavor. If you come across it, by all means give it a try.

Slicing a mango can seem daunting. I sparingly bought mangoes until I went to my friend A's home for Thanksgiving a few year's back for a "Lebanese Thanksgiving". Needless to say this meal was spectacular: the standard turkey was accompanied with Lebanese potatoes, foul (pronounced fool), hummus, and fresh hot pitas. The dessert was beyong special: A's aunt had just returned from a visit in Lebanon, producing a platter of honey and pastacio laden filo. If you are ever in Lebanon the smell of these pastries is intense mixing with the cardamon of Arabic coffee. Back to the mango... A's cousin was over as well. The irrisistable pastries arrived and said cousin retreated to the kitchen for fruit, returning with a ripe, red mango. I was enthralled at his deft slicing job. The mango was quickly consumed, juices licked from his hands, he was on the couch chewing on the pit:

To slice a mango:
We must first understand the mango's pit. It is essentially a flattened oval. The flat sides of the pit are where more mango meat lies. The outer edges being very close to the skin. The meat around the mango pit is very fibrous and it is near impossible to totally clean the pit in the slicing process. When cutting, slice off the flatter sides as close to the pit as possible. Remember, the pit it is a flattened oval, but there is still a little gut to it. Once the two larger sides are off, place the mango flat, start your knife at the pit and slice at an angle into the meat. Make your way around the one side then flip the mango and do the same for the other side. The next step depends on what you are using the mango for. If producing cubes, take the two larger meat slices. Leaving the skin on, cut your cube outline into the meat, careful not to cut through the skin. Once done you can invert the skin and slice each cube off. Or... slice the two larger halves in half again. Using a thin knife slice between the skin and meat as close to the skin as possible. This will leave you with large mango meat wedges.

Now you know how to slice and dice, go forth with your fruit adventures.

APRICOT-MANGO SMOOTHIE
Makes 2 smoothies. Prep time= 8 minutes. Use a hand-held or stationary blender.
1 ripe mango
2 ripe apricots
4 ripe strawberries
½ cup plain yogurt (vanilla, low-fat, no-fat, regular or soy options work too)
½ cup milk (your choice of 1-2%, whole or non-fat, soy, etc)
splash of orange juice
1/4 tsp vanilla
dash of cinnamon

1) Place all ingredients in blender. Blend and serve.

Feelin' Fruity: Part I. Berry-Banana Smoothie

Feelin' Fruity: Part I Berry-Banana Smoothie

Why, for the past week, has D been spoiling me with a smoothie upon waking? I think we are in need of some warmth...

I love where I live because there are countless 24-hour fruit and vegetable stands on my walk home from the train. The best time to shop at them, I have found, is after 11pm on Sundays. I have produced two reasons for this: 1) Shipments arrive Mondays and they want to clear out the merchandise before it arrives. 2) Prices are raised on the weekends before they are drastically slashed Sunday night for reason #1 (possibly making them seem lower than they really are). Regardless, it is at this time that I stock up on strawberries, blackberries, bananas, blueberries, mangoes, and other tasty looking fruits miraculously in-season in the middle of January (oh sweet Industrialization).

A recent conversation at work had X complimenting my grapefruits. X is prone to attempting to steal my grapefruits. X is also prone to stealing (or ogling) my oranges, clementines and/ or kumquats-- maybe X has scruvy? I “always have such great big grapefruits,” X says, “they look so juicy.” We got into a conversation about how expensive these large grapefruits are, “$1 each, so expensive!" But that was a guesstimate and upon further investigation this Sunday I have come to realize grapefruits in my neighborhood—big hulking, face-sized fruits—are 3 for $2. Making all this goodness all the easier to acquire and keep the body healthy in the midst of the chill.

I love smoothies because they are filling. I make thick, yogurt-based smoothies that never become runny like those cheap, imitation ice-based ones (cough Jamba cough). I also do not add sugar (cough Jamba cough) allowing the fruits natural flavors to sweeten the drink. They are a meal in themselves. Best of all, they can cover your daily fruit intake, no matter what the government suggests your personal food pyramid is.

Mix and match your favorite fruits for countless variations. You can use vanilla yogurt for an extra sweet flavor or plain (I use plain because I use a little yogurt in my hummus and baba ganoush so one container is multi-purposeful). I also buy fruit whenever I see it on the cheap. I freeze it and use it for smoothies, or syrups when the urge hits.

The smoothie pictured above is Berry-Banana. My bananas are not very ripe just yet so I only used one and bulked it up with more berry flavor. The results were excellent. Also, please notice how the thick smoothie consistency acts as a pillow for the added blackberry.

BERRY-BANANA SMOOTHIE
Makes 2 smoothies. Prep time= 5 minutes. Use a hand-held or stationary blender.
1 ripe banana (for more banana flavor use 2)
10 ripe strawberries
15 ripe blackberries
½ cup plain yogurt (vanilla, low-fat, no-fat, regular or soy options work too)
1 cup orange juice

1) Place all ingredients in blender. Blend and serve.

More smoothie variations and pictures to come…
Feelin' Fruity: Part II. Mango-Apricot

The Sweet Stink of Cheese

I must digress from my normal musings of my home-cooking adventures for this: Consider the stink.
I like cheese. I really do. It is fabulous: Stinky, sweaty, gooey cheese or firm, nutty and buttery-- cheese is just plain good.

Like most American families growing up, my refrigerator contained plastic— or rather, “American Cheese”. From time to time, we would head north to Wisconsin and pick up some good cheddar or swiss for a traditional grilled cheese. Every now and then, my mother would bless us with some brie. Delicious, buttery brie, which we would melt for a few seconds in the microwave and sop up with some good bread. I remember this distinctly. Most American children are not exposed to real cheese.

I began taking French language lessons in elementary school. I continued in junior high school, and like the other French language learners, I was provided a pen-pal in the 6th grade. The highlight of my school’s French program was the 8th grade: All French classes were given the opportunity to go to France and really apply our language skills. Even at this young age, I was consumed with wanderlust-- of course I went.

The fabulous parent-less journey was 3 weeks long. 1-½ weeks spent in Strasbourg with our pen-pals. We stayed with our pen-pal’s families, attended school, went wine tasting… Then 1 week in Paris for the traditional sites, and ½ week on the beaches of Nice, where most of us had our first topless experience.

My pen-mother was a fabulous cook. Every lunch, we sat down to a traditional French feast. The homemade cuisine featured many regional dishes, saturated in ham, they were pure and succulent. After every meal, my pen-father would yell to the son something I could never understand. Moments later, the sacred box of cheese would emerge. For the next 20 minutes, we gluttonously devoured our cheese course.

Years later, I found myself studying in Prague. Before my studies, I took some welcomed travels to visit my friend L who was living and studying in Paris. Everyday, we awoke late after a night out on the town. Next was the boulangerie for a baguette, then to fetch a reasonably priced local wine, and the favorite part of the shopping: the local market where cheese filled an entire aisle. L and I would walk up and down smelling all the unpasteurized goodness. We would return to the apartment, or the nearby park to a bench, and stuff ourselves silly. It was a deliciously cheese-laden time.

My friend A may attempt a claim that I do not like cheese. This is not true. A went through a macaroni period. (I must at this time point to the recent NY Times editorial on mac and cheese.) A, in fact, became an expert macaroni and cheese chef. She and her roommates tested and combined all varieties of cheese and added all sorts of sausages, hams, or beef to the mix. They perfected The gooey cheesey sauce. But I quickly became tired of the sometimes failed attempts (and the overindulgence of cheese) making claim that I could eat cheese no more…

Until a work holiday party at Artisanal. The sweet stink of this lovely restaurant. My coworkers and I walked in and were dutifully overwhelmed by the stench of this fabulous establishment. My boss at the time became giddy, standing on her tiptoes to spy the delights behind the counter. The uncultured men of the group complained they could have spent dinner in a locker-room for a more pleasant smell. But the fromagier in us knows when a bad stink means good.

I cannot recall the main course I ordered. I do remember the two savory, ribbon-like productions of our starter fondues as cheese dripped luxuriously from our forks. I will also reminisce on their famed cheese puffs (which inspired a much more simple recipe in me that is yet to come): Soft, fluffy balls of pure debauchery in the mouth. And of course, the final cheese platter. My boss and I ran to the counter to imbibe in cheese knowledge and select our desserts. Two tots in a toy store, we ogled, we salivated, we begged the master behind the counter for more of what we desired: cheese.

Today it brings me great pleasure to welcome Artisanal into my home. To my delight I hold in my possession two newly acquired stink bombs. The first, pictured on top is the Fium’Orbo. A goat cheese from Corsica that is “sheepy and persistent but not overly funky.” I say it is slightly salty, with a powerful and delightful afterglow that pairs well with dried fruit. Or, as D makes claim, “strong like Napoleon” (who was born in Corsica). At bottom the Flada, a Swiss cheese, I like to call The Brain. A much stronger flavor and “barnyardy aroma.” This one just melted as I indulged-- I traded my cheese knife for spoon as the stench filled my apartment. I suppose more of an acquired taste, D stated this one was more like “Napoleon’s stables.” His loss, more for me.

There actually is a proper way to eat, or prepare cheese:
1) Provide each cheese with one (more more) knives. This way cheese flavors will not intermingle when cutting.
2) Cheese should be served at room temperature to get the most flavor out of it. In other words, if you're having a party and cheese is involved, put the cheese out about 1 hour before guests arrive for full cheese flavor.

In the next few hours I will lose myself to cheese, adieu.

Decadence

It has been a long, tough day. Actually, a long week. A crazed ceramic marathon (my other real joy) produced a fabulous bounty this Monday with a kiln full of handmade gifts . In the middle of all this came a birthday dinner (menu to come). But I thought I should write about today…
Awaking and relieved to be done with all things hectic, what more of a surprise could arise than a transit strike? And what is worse than calling into one’s part-time job only to find you are desperately needed? Possibly realizing it is 20 degrees outside. So what is more invigorating than a 5-mile bike ride in 20 degree weather? Following it up with the most decadent of meals after the remaining 5-miles home.
Caviar, otherwise known as decadence to a mere mortal.
Bad caviar is a heartbreaker so be sure to eat it immediately post-purchase. After a 10-mile bike ride into, and back from, Manhattan, D and I deserved a treat. We bought a moderate Champagne, and indulged our jell-o legs.
The last time I had good caviar was in Latvia. My local family led us to a Russian restaurant. My grandmother complained the whole way there, wondering why it was necessary we eat at a Russian establishment (I have nothing against Russians, it is history that does. Besides, I am 1⁄4 Russian!). Upon our arrival, vodka was ordered for the table (mind you, I did not have one sober day in Latvia). I suppose when you are blessed with 50F summers and formidable winters you tend to be a bit of a lush to keep warm. Regardless, I could not have been happier to see crepes with Caspian caviar on the menu—for about $5! I promise you now reader, I will drink all the vodka in the world if I could continue to eat caviar and crepes for $5 a day, everyday.
Tonight brought me back to that bulging red Caspian caviar. Bursting with flavor and salt. We ate them with the provided smoked salmon, crackers, avocado and Champagne. Fabulous. Delicious. Decadent. Bring on the transit strike—as long as your bring on the caviar!
I cannot offer a recipe for this menu. Crackers, smoked salmon, avocado, caviar and Champagne. Mix at will.

Latvian Pancakes

The Latvian name for these pancakes translates to “come back tomorrow.” My brothers and I know them as Latvian Pancakes. “In the old days” my grandmother will say in her broken English, “the parties were very large. So large, food would overflow from the tables. Drinking, eating, and dancing were everywhere. If it was cold, and snow covered the ground up to your waist, the guests slept on the floor near the fire, while their horses and carriages stayed in the barn. In the morning we would make Latvian Pancakes [insert Latvian name here].”

They are beyond a treat in my house. They are so good, that even in the six years of my noble vegetarianism, my grandmother would make me “veggie versions” of this savory snack. This is the recipe that even today, must always be secretly doubled. One batch goes onto the table for consumption and the other whisked away quickly, carefully hidden in a scentless container on the other side of the house until everyone is good and stuffed.
My brothers and I still fight to take home frozen pancakes. I still ration mine so carefully that I only finished my last pancake about 2 months ago (they had been stored since December in my freezer, brought back from holiday in California). Traditionally they are eaten with sour cream or applesauce. They are also excellent plain.
My grandmother still makes these best. In her younger days in Latvia, my grandmother was a trained chef and worked at a boarding school (those lucky kids). After a spat and holding her ground with the headmaster, she was fired, but would soon have to flee the country with my grandfather, mother, aunt and uncles in tow. It is impossible to write any of my grandmother’s recipes down. They are all stored neatly in her brain. She moves too quickly in the kitchen for me to measure anything beyond how many eggs are used (which also varies depending on her mood). “Grandma, how much flour?” “This much,” she says as she reaches her hand into the flour and tosses a handful into the mixing bowl. “No, more!” she will declare after stirring the batter and seeing it is not to her liking.
While I do not have my grandmother’s exact recipe for this item, I was still able to make them moist and savory, with enough to stow away, forgetting until a rainy day. I used “Joy of Cooking’s” crepe recipe but found it too sweet. If you eliminate most of the sugar, the flavor is truer to my grandmother’s batter. The filling is essentially leftovers: Meat like brisket, or other good meat is traditional, but I like turkey best. In recent years, I started adding leftover vegetables (zucchini, carrots, mushrooms) that are roasted and soft to the mixture. It makes a fuller meal out of the pancake. The third part of the filling is sour cream. You can also add a little leftover gravy for extra flavor, but it’s not necessary. The most laborious part of this procedure is removing all meat from the bones. (Save the bones and make a soup, recipe to come.) You can break this procedure up if you do not want to spend all the time on the pancakes at once (make crepe batter or pull the meat from the bone the night before, for example). Total cook and prep time is about 2 hours.

The Crepe:
(makes about 15 pancakes, 8-in diameter)
1-½ cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp double-acting baking powder
1 Tbl sugar
4 eggs
1-1/3 cups milk
2/3 cup water
½ tsp vanilla
1) sift dry ingredients together.
2) Create a moat in the dry and add wet ingredients, whisk together getting as many lumps out as possible
3) Refrigerate at least ½ hour
Note: if the batter gets too thick to your liking you can thin it down with water

The Filling:
Leftover meat
Leftover vegetables (zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, onions are good)
1-2 heaping spoonful(s) sour cream (the sour cream acts as a glue to hold the meat together)
salt/ pepper to taste
1) Remove meat from bones and place in a large bowl.
2) Add any leftover vegetables, sour cream, salt and pepper
3) In batches, pulse ingredients. The result should be very small bits of meat (you do not want it pureed), slightly moist and pliable from the sour cream (add more sour cream if needed).

Pancake Assemblage:
1) In a large skillet on a medium-high heat, melt a small amount of butter. When warm, add just under ¼ cup of batter. Tip the pan quickly, spreading the batter evenly and thinly around the pan. (The thinner the crepe the easier the folding.) Cook one side only about 3 minutes until lightly brown, flip off skillet, onto a plate.
2) Continue the above step, finishing the batter. In this half-cooked form, the crepes will stick if stacked on top of each other. Avoid this by placing parchment paper between each crepe.
3) Once batter is done, add filling to create pancakes.
4) On browned side of crepe, place a heaping spoonful of filling in the center. Fold crepe 4 times, forming a small square. The uncooked side of the crepe will aid in keeping the pancakes stuck together. Repeat until all crepes are filled.
5) Reheat the same skillet on medium-high heat. Fill the skillet with the stuffed pancakes to complete cooking. As the uncooked crepe side cooks, it will “glue” the pancake together. Flip once lightly browned, about 3 min. Cook on the other side about 3 min, until lightly browned.

Enjoy your taste of traditional Latvia with applesauce, sour cream, plain, warm or cold.

Pumpkin Head

When I was younger, I remember the mathematical theorems discussed regarding when to put our dear pumpkins on display. Too early and rot would attack before Halloween. Too late, and few could enjoy the artistic alterations. Then, neighborhood bullies and animals had to be added to the equation-- who would eat and who would squash my squash? Now, I'm more likely to leave my "pompon" whole, stick it in a window, and subject it to the knife when I'm good and ready to get slimy up to my elbows.

Pumpkins can be prepared in countless variations. From ravioli to soup to cakes to bread and even toasting the seeds for a good pick-me-up (although I think I prefer butternut squash seeds which are a little smaller and nuttier). My pumpkin this year is magnificent. It is, I think, the perfect pumpkin. It is the classic depressed oval with crescent dips running vertical and a knotty tuff at the top. It is a true specimen and though I dare consider embalming and preserving for children to learn and future generations to be amazed, one day, when I'm a little down, the knife will be drawn.

But now, Halloween has passed, and I still don't have the heart to put knife to beauty. Until then, my pumpkin recipes offered will consist of canned pumpkin. A poor, but easy substitute for the real thing. As per a recent request, a pumpkin bread recipe followed by pumpkin cheesecake-- pure Fall decadence. Make either of the two for your loved ones. It is appropriate with Thanksgiving and other assorted holidays up and coming. The bread makes a great breakfast with a cup of coffee, a mid-afternoon snack with some tea or milk, or a wholesome, comforting dessert. It also makes a great gift in place of those brick-like fruit cakes (I really hope no one actually still gifts those) and it keeps good and moist for days. The cheesecake on the other hand, is succulent. It is creamy, rich but fluffy and melts in the mouth.

PUMPKIN BREAD (c/o the Turner family w/ slight author alterations):
Makes 3 loaves (all the better for giving)
3- 8.5 x 4.5 x 3 loaf tins
--------------------
1) Preheat oven to 350 F, grease loaf tins.
2) In large mixing bowl, sift 3 cups flour, 3 cups sugar, 2 tsp baking soda, 1.5 tsp salt (or less), 3 tsp cinnamon, 3 tsp nutmeg
3) In a medium mixing bowl, beat together 4 eggs (at room temp), 1 can (15 oz/ 2 cups) pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling just plain pumpkin), 2/3 cup water, 1 tsp. vanilla.
4) Add wet to dry, stir until well blended.
5) Add 2 cups walnuts or pecans, chopped
6) Add 1 cup Crisco (or veggie oil)
7) Bake 50 min on middle rack. Check with toothpick to see if done. If not, check every 5 min or so until toothpick comes out clean.
8) Pop from tin onto cooling rack and let cool 10 min.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE (c/o my dear friend Liana. Eaten before pictures could be taken)
Crust-
1 cup pecans
1 cup graham crackers
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling-
4- 8oz packages cream cheese (low fat is fine) at room temperature
1- 15oz can pure pumpkin (again, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
3 eggs
1 Tbl vanilla
-----------
Prepare Crust
1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Wrap outside of springform pan with 2 layers aluminum foil. Process pecans and graham crackers until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter, pulse until crumbs hold lightly. Firmly press crumbs on bottom of pan. Bake 10 min, until lightly golden. Set aside and allow to cool.

Prepare Filling
1) Beat cream cheese and sugar in mixing bowl until smooth.
2) Add eggs, 1 at a time. Add remaining ingredients and beat until just blended.
3) Pour filling onto crust. Place springform pan in large roasting pan, add enough water to come halfway up sides of springform.
4) Bake about 1.5 hours, until cheesecake is slightly puffed and top is golden. Transfer to rack and cool. Cover, refrigerate overnight.

A Taste of Eden

I can remember the first time I tried this bizarre fruit. I had often seen them in grocery stores and my thoughts were always that they were in the squash family. After all, they do appear sort of squashish. I must have been around twelve when I was seated around that kitchen table. I can remember it was just after a soccer game. I cannot remember if we won or lost. I cannot remember who the others were that surrounded me at the table. I do remember the Goddess that imparted her knowledge of this other wordly fruit upon me. She was tall, motherly (not my mother), and had long hair, the color of autumn bark that fell in large, heavy ringlets framing her face.

If I dig deep enough, I can almost remember a heavenly glow that illuminated her as she picked up the fruit and sat us around the table. She did not say anything, but sliced through that thick, leathery, scarlet skin. The blood of the seeds spread in a puddle at the base of the fruit and out dropped a few glistening pulps. I was amazed. How could such an exterior produce such a marvelous interior? (I would later learn Mother Nature has her way with this when it comes to fruits and vegetables.) I was given a few rubies and eagerly popped them in my mouth. The juice was amazing. Giddy at my new discovery, I reached out for more...

The pomegranate truly is an ethereal fruit. It is not native to North America, though is now grown in California and some parts of Arizona. I think the best arrive to us from their origin in Iran and other reaches of the Mediterranean, over to India and into the Himalayas. They mature when most other bounty of summer has faded, best from October to February. The trees are a beautiful spectacle to witness in person. (I came upon some recently in China when I was amazed at seeing fields upon fields of light green maturing pomegranates. I was told they were for local consumption-- how lucky they are!) And when you stand under one, it as if you are transplanted to the Garden of Eden...

The apple, though an equally lovely and quite a delicacy itself, is not native to the warm climates of the Fertile Crescent and Mediterranean. Though it is widely believed that Eve ate an apple from the tree, many argue it was actually a pomegranate (though what an akward image of Eve having to tear through the skin rather than lightly bite into an apple). Michael Pollan in his Botany of Desire, makes note of this fact as well. I like to think it was the pomegranate-- A rare, delicious discovery of sweet fruity granate!

In Spain, they are known as "granada". In France, it is "grenade" and where we receive the namesake grenadine syrup. (When I was younger I always thought grenadine syrup was the sweet syrup of cherries.) In the Middle East, it is not pomegranate syrup that is popular, but pomegranate molasses (and can be found in many local Mediterranean groceries). It is a delicious addition to most any meat dish (amongst other things). I recently roasted a chicken spread with homemade sundried tomato-basil pesto and drizzled with pomegranate molasses (very easy and surprisingly decadent for chicken). But, if I must use pomegranate molasses again, I wish to be transported back in time. I wish to re-create myself sitting in my bathing suit around the table of some of my best friends. My skin sun-kissed and salty, at a dinner of Egyptian feta, olives and homemade grape leaves stuffed with lamb, wild rice, and pomegranate molasses, beside the calm, warm waters of the Red Sea on the Sin'ai Peninsula at dusk. That is my Eden where I'll happily dine on the forbidden fruit whenever asked.