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fruit

Strawberries & Peaches with Einkorn Shortcake

Strawberries & Peaches with Einkorn Shortcake

Enjoying the fruits of spring with sweet strawberries and fragrant peaches, served on warm einkorn shortcake. 

Einkorn is an ancient grain.  It's a unique, tasty four.  I whipped it into a buttery shortcake using a modified version of the biscuit ratio: 3:1:2 (flour:fat:liquid).  I used all-purpose and fresh-ground einkorn (300g) and mixed it with a vegan buttery spread (80g).  I used a "lite" version of the product which contained more water than fat, so it clumped when I cut them together.  Then I added in the almond milk (200ml) and mixed thoroughly.  Einkorn has less gluten than wheat, so it doesn't tend to get tough when it's mixed. 

I piped the thick batter with a large star tip into a few small springform pans, and baked it for ~20min at 400˚F.

While it's baking, I hacked up some strawberries and fragrant peaches.  Saving a few for garnish, I smashed up the rest with some agave syrup, vanilla and a whisper of ultra gel for thickness. 

When the shortcakes were golden brown, I removed and let them cool for a minute before cutting them in half. 

Spoon on the fruit and enjoy!

Sparkling Cherry Limeade

Sparkling Cherry Limeade

This isn't some artificially flavoured sugary fizzy drink.  It's made from ripe dark cherries and fresh squeezed lime juice. First, either use a cherry pitter - or just halve the cherries and pick out the pit.  This birdbeak knife is handy for things like this.  I use a couple handfulls of cherries per litre of water.  Then juice, or muddle, the cherries.  Since it's just a few cherries, I don't like to dirty up a juicing machine, so smashing with a muddler works easiest.  Then, add the juice of two limes to the smashed cherries.  Strain out the pulp and set aside the juice.

It does need just a little sugar to add some sweetness.  I use about half as much sugar as juice.  Add the sugar and juice to a bit of water.  Then top it off the mixture with seltzer.  Adjust the ratio of all the items to suit your taste, because, ya know, everybody likes things a little different.

Blueberry and Dark Cherry Youghurt Parfait

Blueberry and Dark Cherry Youghurt Parfait

Happy Birthday America!!! This Fourth of July, stay cool with a chilled fresh fruit and youghurt parfait! I make homemade soy youghurt, and flavour it with vanilla bean.  It's fairly easy and really tasty.  

The rest of the ingredients are simple and wholesome: dark cherry halves, rolled oats and blueberries. When I'm in a rush, I just throw all the ingredients in a bowl and stir, but today's special, so let's get fancy!

First, I like to add a layer of youghurt, then oats, then berries.  The oats help keep things in layers - they add a dryness and stability. Sometimes, the sugars in the fruit draw out moisture from the youghurt, making a watery pocket in the parfait.  The oats soak up the separating water and keep things texturally consistent. 

Keep layering the youghurt, oats and fruit until about an inch from the top.  Then, place a row of cherry halves around the top of the glass, followed by a bit more youghurt and a row of blueberries. You could add a sprig of mint, or a few oats to the top.  My favorite thing, however, is a few toasted slivered almonds.  

You can customize this for your tastes.  Use strawberries or raspberries instead of cherries.  Try granola instead of oats.  Any way you make them, parfaits are refreshing summer treats.  

*Despite my European, Asian and Brittish tendencies, I'm really proud to be American.  Happy Fourth!

Valentine's Day Macarons

Here are two types of macaron, both stylish for Valentine's Day: Chocolate with Mint and Pomegranate - Pink Grapefruit. Byron Talbott and Beth Le Manach both have excellent tutorials for making macarons.  Their work continually inspires me.  Find links to their youtube channels at the end of this post - just search the channel for "macaron"

I made them both at the same time so the photos both overlap and omit elements.  Sorry!

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First, the building blocks: egg white, almond meal and icing sugar.  Each batch is slightly different so, adjustments are needed from time depending on the behavior of the batter.

Begin by adding the almond meal and icing sugar to a food processor and chop until fine.  Then, sift the ingredients.  Sift it a lot!

Then, make a meringue.  I know it's not the standard way, but I always dump in all the ingredients: egg white, sugar, vanilla and sprinkle of salt.  Whip it until soft peaks form.

Add about 1/3 of the meringue to the dry ingredients and fold together.  Add the remainder of the meringue and continue folding until the batter is "lava-like"  That is, it should be thick and smooth.

Pipe the batter out in even circles on parchment or silicone baking mat.  "Slam" the pan down on the counter a few times to allow the batter to settle, removing any bubbles.  Then, (one of the most important steps!!!) allow the batter to dry for about 20 minutes.  It should be completely non-sticky to the touch.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 350˚F.  Allow to cool and fill with delightful things.

I think the pomegranate-pink grapefruit is one of my favourites.  The tartness of the fruit balances the sweetness and enhances the macaron experience.

I made a simple butter cream using Earth Balance spread, pomegranate juice and grapefruit zest.

 

Matcha Rice with Mango

Someone showed me a few recipes that utilized tea in unique ways - in savoury dishes as well as sweet.  I was inspired to make this quick and easy sweet dessert. IMG_2841 Pairing matcha and jasmine rice allows the fragrance of both components build on each other.

Simply prepare a couple cups of jasmine rice, adding about a teaspoon of matcha powder, a half-teaspoon of vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sugar.

When the rice is done, allow it to cool slightly - it should be pleasantly warm, but not hot.  Top with sliced mango and garnish with lime.  This very fragrant dish is the perfect light conclusion to any heavy meal.

Stone Fruit and Ginger Galette

This is a mix of delicious and easy. IMG_5012

I like this gluten free crust made from ground nuts and oats.  It's hearty, rustic and fairly easy to make. In a food processor, mix the nuts (pecans, almonds and walnuts) with quick oats and a bit of salt and sugar.  Run the food processor until the mix is finely chopped and crumbly.  Then, add enough water to bring it together in a soft dough.  Since there's no gluten, it doesn't really need to rest.  Place between two sheets of parchment and roll out.

Prep the stone fruit.  I chose a mix of cherries, apricots, plums and peaches.  Add to a bowl with fresh grated ginger, sugar, vanilla, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Place the fruit on the dough and distribute evenly, leaving a generous border.  Fold the dough inward to enclose the fruit.  Place the galette on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes.

I like to serve it with accents of fresh fruit and Swedish pearl sugar.

 

Mango and Sweet Coconut Jasmine Rice

A variation on a favourite of mine, sticky rice with mango. IMG_2651

It a fairly simple dish, and one I used to eat often when I lived on an island.  It's sweet, savoury, creamy and satisfying.  To make this, I prepared jasmine rice and added: coconut milk, toasted coconut flakes, coconut sugar, salt and Thai basil.  I used only coconut milk, instead of water, to cook the rice and it was a bit too rich.  It would probably be better 50:50 water and rice.  Also, I used coconut sugar to give it a rich caramel flavour; again, a bit too rich.  Plain white sugar would be perfect.

While the rice is cooking, chunk the mango.

When the rice is finished cooking, allow it to cool slightly and serve with the mango chunks.  Garnish with Thai basil.  It's a delightful licoricey complement to the tropical flavours.

Brioche French Toast

It's rare for brioche to last long enough to get stale, but if it does, french toast is the perfect thing. IMG_2189

First whip up the batter: eggs, splash of almond milk, pinch of salt and a slash of vanilla.  Dip slices of brioche in the batter and fry in olive oil.  You can use butter to fry, but I like the heartyness olive oil adds.

Serve hot, dusted with powdered sugar and garnished with fresh fruit.

French bread made into french toast.  #winning

Happy Pancake Day, 2014! Gluten Free Edition

Celebrating Pancake day with gluten free buckwheat pancakes! IMG_0735

Easy to make with: buckwheat flour, egg whites, soy milk, olive oil, vanilla, salt and baking powder.

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They're not mile-high fluffy, but they are hearty and rich.  Swimming in pure maple syrup, they're a classic delight.

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